Ketumala
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Sayalay Ketumala | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980 (age 45–46) |
| Citizenship | Myanmar |
| Education | Pa-Auk Forest Monastery |
| Occupation | Nun (1999–present) |
Sayalay Ketumala (born c. 1980) is a Burmese nun. Known for her advocacy for the rights of religious women, she has been described as "arguably the best known nun in Myanmar".
Ketumala was born in Mudon Township, Mawlamyine District, Mon State.[1] While raised in a Theravada Buddhist family, she did not identify strongly with the religion. When she was 13, she and other female family members were prevented from entering a temple in Mawlamyine where her uncle and cousin were being ordained as monks, which she later identified as being her first experience of gender inequality.[2]
Ketumala decided to become a nun after reading A House Where Mindfulness Is, a philosophical text by U Zawti Ka. She became a thilashin in July 1999 and trained at Pa-Auk Forest Monastery in Mawlamyine. Her family did not agree with her decision to become a nun and did not speak to her for several years.[1][2][3][4][5] Ketumala went on to gain a bachelor's degree in Buddhist studies from the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka in Homagama, and a master's degree from the University of Kelaniya in Colombo.[1][4] She studied for a PhD in the role of Buddhist nuns in Myanmar.[6]