Sunday, November 8th, many Heartwood sangha members attended an event hosted by Ayya Saddha’s family to honor the monks who helped ordain her. Venerables Soma and Thokathokam flew in, and Ayya Sudhamma traveled from Charlotte, NC to attend. I shared some remarks at that event and offer them again here.
“I don’t know Ayya Saddha’s history very well, but I know she experienced much suffering- from the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, to living in a new foreign country, loss and separation from surviving family and friends, to poverty and isolation. Somewhere around 2007, she survived a house fire but she lost most everything… from this, she turned toward the Dharma.
In 2009, she met Ayya Sudhamma and began studying with her on the weekends.
During this period, she also met and started studying with Venerable Pannavati and in 2011 took temporary ordination with her.
In 2020, Venerable Pannavati went to SC to invite Saddha to live and train at Heartwood, which she immediately did. That is when I met her.
Before long, Venerable Pannavati began patiently arranging for Ayya’s ordination.
Some may not know that Venerable Pannavati was known for breaking barriers in ordination of women monastics. In 2009, she helped arrange the ordination of fifty Thai women as bhikkunis — a historic first in Theravada Buddhism, breaking a ban in Thailand and inspiring global change for women’s monastic ordination.
With this same spirit of determination, Venerable Pannavati respectfully proposed to Bhante Sambo Kurt that the ordination take place at Wat Sao Sokh San. He eventually agreed and the ordination ceremony was held there in 2021 with Venerable Sudhamma as Pavattini and Ven. Pannavati as Acariya. Venerable Pannadipa was part of the ordaining bhikkhu sangha.
From what I understand, this made Ayya Saddha the 2nd Cambodian woman to gain bhikkhuni ordination from Theravada sangha.
**incidentally, Ayya Sudhamma was one of the very first American-born women to gain bhikkhuni ordination in the Theravada school, paving the way for future aspirants to ordain. Deep bows of gratitude.
In July 2024 Ayya Saddha took official residency at Wat Sao Sokh San, a Khmer Buddhist Temple in Wellford, SC.
These remarks, written to Ayya Saddha from Abbot Noun Chandare at Watt Meangkolvorn Santa Rosa Association encapsulate the significance of that installation.
“With the challenges you faced as the Khmer Bhikkhuni in this modern society, and especially in the Cambodian Community is very difficult to explain. These challenges are the doors to the Khmer Bhikkhuni and the International Bhikkhuni to help plant seeds for others to follow. You and the others are the path for these seeds to grow, one by one. Your dedication, determination, perseverance, and along with your compassionate heart led you to where you are today. I am very humbled and honored to congratulate you on your invitation as the first Khmer Bhikkhuni to get invited from the Bhikkhu Khmer Sangha to live on the same ground. This is extraordinary to witness. Therefore, congratulations on your accomplishment to the future of all Bhikkhunis who have endured this path of hardship with much criticism and discrimination. In addition, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Abbot Sambo for his understanding, support, and his acceptance of our Khmer Bhikkhuni. This is a major breakthrough for our community to acknowledge the true meaning of what it means to be humane. Please send my respect and gratitude to the Abbot Sambo for me as well.”
“Saddha” means faith or DEVOTED.
With every step she has taken, she has demonstrated a quiet, determined persistence, firmly grounded in faith. She has neither faltered nor despaired. During the time I lived with and learned from Ayya Saddha, I never once saw her become angry. She remains steadfast in her own practice while maintaining a genuine eagerness to learn from everyone and everything around her. She often expresses this joyfully, saying, “I’m learning!” Teachings from other traditions do not unsettle or discourage her; instead, she receives them with gratitude and an open heart.
She has shown incredible devotion and gratitude toward her teachers and fellow practitioners.
Her very presence is a refuge and support for others. Her stability creates the ground others can stand on.
Even if she didn’t fully understand teachings offered in English, her sincere desire to listen and learn allowed her to know!
There are six perfections or transcendent virtues that a bodhisattva practices. I was reflecting on the ways Ayya Saddha demonstrates these virtuous actions through:
- Generosity- especially through offering dharma
- Discipline through her meditation practice, adherence to the vinaya, and by learning from everyone and everything she encounters
- Patience and forbearance under much insult and adversity. If monks or others don’t accept bhikkuni ordination yet, she says “It’s ok. Maybe next time” and keeps on going. “I don’t scare ok? I learn from Venerable…”
- Effort- Ayya has many students now in Cambodia and has been invited to teach in many places. Whatever she comes to know, she wants to share. She is dedicated to helping “my people” of all ages learn the true Dharma
- Meditation *or concentration- dedicated daily practice for years on end
- Transcendent wisdom – steady illumination of the illusory nature of subject, object, and action
At Heartwood we talk about cultivation a lot- that we have to first and foremost understand the nature of cause and effect and that everything we do in body, speech, and mind either creates ease or suffering- that Buddhism isn’t just chanting or meditation- that it is seeing clearly the nature of things and then creating the causes for liberation from cyclic rebirth. We do this by continuously shifting our minds to the truths the Buddha taught and WALKING OUT the four immeasurables of loving kindness, compassion, altruistic joy, and non-differentiating generosity. When these actions become natural, THEN we are in proper cultivation.
These virtues appear natural for her!
Due to the diligent efforts and devotion of Ayya Saddha, many doors have opened to women seeking true refuge or higher ordination; upholding the Fourfold Sangha originally laid out by The World Honored One, Shakyamuni Buddha.
Ayya Saddha has demonstrated selfless service, faithful devotion, and boundless compassion.
She is a true Dharma jewel.
May she live long and leave a stable and thriving community of Khmer Bhikkhunis- anywhere in the world that they may live.
Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu!”