BANGKOK -- On the first lunar cycle of the first month of this year, Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, an eminent Buddhist scholar, threw away her makeup, gave up eating meals after midday and relinquished the luxury of a comfortable bed. A month later, one day before the auspicious date of Buddha's holy Makhapuja Day, she made a trip to Sri Lanka, where she shaved off all her hair and was quietly ordained as a novice monk. A chapter of senior monks then signed a certificate of ordination, their venerable titles taking up most of the page, and the long-suppressed right of Thai women to become fully ordained monks ("bhikkhuni") moved a step closer toward realization. When Chatsumarn returned home to Bangkok a week later, all hell broke loose.