The Controversial Bhikkhuni Ordination at Perth Gets the Downfall Treatment
By now we’ve probably all heard about the controversial Bhikkhuni ordination that took place at Bodhinyana Monastery in Perth, Australia. For the uninitiated, a group of Buddhist nuns were ordained during a ceremony at Bodhinyana Buddhist Monastery in Perth at the end of October. Ayya Tathaaloka was the preceptor, and Ajahn Brahm and Ajahn Sujato performed the “certifying acariya chanting in the bhikkhu’s part of the ceremony.” On November 1st, Ajahn Brahm was told by the leadership of Wat Pa Phong that Bodhinyana Monastery would be disavowed if he did not publicly state the ordination was invalid. When he refused, Bodhinyana Monastery was disavowed by Wat Pa Phong.
Now, if you’re a YouTuber surfer, you probably know about the “subgenre” of Downfall parodies that are immensely popular. Basically, people take one scene from Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Oscar-nominated film about Hitler’s final days in the bunker, and re-subtitle it to comedic effect.
Well, thanks to our pal Sumi Loundon Kim, we discover that someone has finally given the controversy over the bhikkhuni ordination the Downfall treatment…
