Eight Garudhammas
Controversial Buddhist nun gender hierarchy rules / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The controversial Eight Garudhammas (Sanskrit: guru-dharma,[note 1] translated as 'rules of respect',[1] 'principles of respect',[2] 'principles to be respected')[3] were considered additional precepts required of bhikkhunis (fully ordained Buddhist nuns) above and beyond the monastic rule (vinaya) that applied to monks. They are controversial because they attempt to proscribe an inferior role for nuns, and bhikkhunis have revealed scholarly evidence that the Eight Garudhammas are not found in the historical teachings of Gautama Buddha.[4][5][6]
Garu literally means 'heavy'[7] and when applied to vinaya, it means "heavy offense that entails penance (mānatta) consisting of 2 weeks" as described in garudhamma rule No. 5.[8] The authenticity of these rules is contested; they were supposedly added to the (bhikkhunis) vinaya "to allow more acceptance" of a monastic order for women, during the Buddha's time.[9][10]