Maechi[1] or Mae chee[2] (Thai: แม่ชี; in Thai pronounced as /mɛ̂ː.t͡ɕʰiː/), "respected mother" (แม่ + honorific suffix "-ji"),[3] are female monastics in Thailand; Theravada Buddhist nuns. Ordained under The Eight or Ten Precepts (i.e., more than the Five Precepts taken by laypersons), they formally occupy a position similar to sāmaṇerī and wear white robes, but are in practice resemblant of male Theravāda monastics - renunciants who have dedicated their life to Buddhist practice, meditation, vowing celibacy and ascetisicm.
They are not ordained under 311 precepts (
Like the thilashin of neighbouring Myanmar and the dasa sil mata of Sri Lanka, maechi occupy a position somewhere between that of an eight-precept lay follower and a fully ordained monastic.
Like bhikkhus, maechis shave their heads and undertake precepts not generally observed by lay followers. Maechis most commonly receive these precepts from a monk, but there is little in the way of a formal ordination ceremony. Maechis wear white robes in their daily lives, distinguishing them from both monks and other lay people.
Because of the belief that the bhikkhuni order was never established in Thailand, women have traditionally been denied the chance to 311 precept ordination.[7] Instead, for several centuries Thai women have chosen to live as maechis, taking the eight precepts and living either in monasteries or in dedicated communities of female renunciants. Temporary maechis, who typically do not shave their heads, are called chi phram (Thai: ชีพราหมณ์;). Because they have no special position described in the Tipiṭaka or Pāli Canon, gifts given to maechis are not seen as bringing the same merit to the donor as gifts given to a monk would. Maechi are not recognized as monastics by the Thai government and are not eligible for monastic benefits and certain perks (such as free passage on public transportation), but they are denied the rights of other lay citizens (e.g. like monks, are forbidden from voting or standing for civil elections). While the officially recognized male monastic communities has traditionally received considerable oversight and assistance from various government ministries, only in the 20th century did the Thai Sangha begin to take an organized role in providing for the needs of maechis. An institute now attempts to roughly track the number of maechis in the country, and provides funds that can be used for educational opportunities for maechis.
Most maechis live on temple grounds. The temple may provide daily meals and lodging but, in general, maechis are expected to provide for themselves through support from relatives and temples do not care for them as they do male monastics. Most maechis essentially act as servants for the temple, cooking and cleaning and overseeing the sale of incense and other offerings. Smaller numbers of maechis live in their own communities, which may or may not be associated with a local monastery. Women in these communities often experience better conditions than those living in traditional monasteries.
Historically, little is known about the status and lives of maechis prior to Western contact with the kingdoms that preceded the modern state of Thailand. European observers in the 17th century reported seeing white-robed, shaven-headed women who lived on the grounds of Buddhist temples. Most of these women were reported to be advanced in years, possibly indicating that life as a maechi may have served as a sort of retirement plan for older women who did not have families to provide for them. Records from prior to this time do not explicitly mention maechis in Thailand; it is likely that some records were lost in the destruction of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 18th century. The marginalization of the maechis in Thai society may also play a role in their exclusion from the historical record.
Even though it is illegal to ordain women as 311 precept nuns, attempts have been made in recent history. The most recent case brought to the Supreme Court of Thailand is that of Phothirak, a former monk who has been ejected from the Thai sangha after being convicted of breaching the vinaya repeatedly. Phothirak then created his own sect of Buddhism, Santi Asoke, and ordained about 80 bhikkhunis in 1998, leading to his imprisonment for 66 months on several successive counts of "causing schism amongst the religion".[8] Attempts at reviving the Thai bhikkhunī order has been made by Dhammananda Bhikkhuni,[9] [10] who took ordination in a reestablished bhikkhunī lineage in Sri Lanka without being imprisoned as a result. Opposition from high-ranking Thai monastics seems to have discouraged maechis from joining her.[11] Since 1971 there has been a Queen's Foundation for Thai Maechi, addressing maechi affairs.[12]
In 1969, the first nationwide meeting of maechis was organized by the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand.[13] During the same year, the Queen's Foundation for Thai Maechi was formed to organize maechis scattered throughout Thailand. The institute seeks to improve conditions for maechis by providing better access to education, and screening and placing potential maechis and seeks to ensure that all maechis possess basic knowledge of Buddhist teachings and proper monastic behavior. The institute has also attempted to discourage maechi from begging for alms as monks do. Instead, older maechis (who are particularly at risk for poverty) are increasingly placed in old-age homes.
Despite the absence of a full bhikkhuni ordination in Thailand, a number of other groups of female renunciants emerged in Thai society during the 20th Century. The buddhasavikas are a very small organization of women who have received ordination from Taiwanese Buddhist lineages such as Fo Guang Shan. The sikhamats were female renunciants ordained by the Santi Asoke movement. They lived a communal life, kept a strict vegetarian diet, and attempted to be self-supporting through organic farming and daily manual labor.