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Women in Buddhism is a topic that can be approached from varied perspectives including those of theology, history, anthropology and feminism. As in other religions, the experiences of Buddhist women have varied considerably. According to Bernard Faure, "Buddhism is paradoxically neither as sexist nor as egalitarian as is usually thought". He elaborates: "Like most clerical discourses, Buddhism is indeed relentlessly misogynist, but as far as misogynist discourses go, it is one of the most flexible and open to multiplicity and contradiction."[1]

Scholars such as Faure and Miranda Shaw are in agreement that Buddhist Studies is in its infancy in terms of addressing gender issues. Shaw gave an overview of the situation in 1994:

In the case of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, some progress has been made in the areas of women in early Buddhism, monasticism, and Māhayāna Buddhism. Two articles have seriously broached the topic of women in Indian Tantric Buddhism, while somewhat more attention has been devoted to Tibetan nuns and lay yoginis. [2]


Women in early Buddhism

According to Diana Paul, the traditional view of women in early Indian Buddhism is that they are inferior.[3] Rita Gross agrees that "a misogynist strain is found in early Indian Buddhism. But the presence of some clearly misogynist doctrines does not mean that the whole of ancient Indian Buddhism was misogynist". [4]The founder of the religion, Gautama Buddha, permitted women to join his monastic community and fully participate in it, although there were certain provisos or garudhammas. As Susan Murcott comments, "The nun's sangha was a radical experiment for its time"[5] The mix of positive attitudes to femininity with blatantly negative sentiment has led many writers to characterise early Buddhism's attitude to women as deeply ambivalent.[6] Some commentators on the Aganna-Suttanta from the Pali Canon, a record of the teachings of Gautama Buddha, interpret it as showing women as responsible for the downfall of the human race. However, Buddhist interpretation is generally that it shows lust in general, rather than women, as causing the downfall. [7] According to Diana Paul, Buddhism inherited a view of women whereby if they are not represented as mothers then they are portrayed as either lustful temptresses or as evil incarnate.[3]

Women and Buddhahood

Although early Buddhist texts maintain that a woman can attain enlightenment, it is also clearly stated in the Bahudhātuka-sutta that there could never be a female Buddha. In Theravada Buddhism, the modern school based on the Buddhist philosophy of the earliest dated texts, Buddhahood is a rare event, happening only once in eons. The focus of practice is primarily on attaining Arhatship and the Pali Canon has examples of both male and female Arhats who attained nirvana. Yashodhara, the former wife of Buddha Shakyamuni, mother of his son Rahula, is said to have become an arahant after having been a Bhikkhuni (a buddhist nun). In Mahayana schools, Buddhahood is the universal goal for Mahayana practitioners. The Mahayana sutras, like the Pali Canon literature, maintain that a woman can become enlightened, only not in female form. For example, the Bodhisattvabhūmi, dated to the 4th Century, states that a woman about to attain enlightenment will be reborn in the male form. According to Miranda Shaw, "this belief had negative implications for women insofar as it communicated the insufficiency of the female body as a locus of enlightenment".[8]. However, in the tantric iconography of the Vajrayana practice path of Buddhism, female Buddhas do appear. Sometimes they are the consorts of the main yidam of a meditation mandala but Buddhas such as Vajrayogini, Tara and Simhamukha appear as the central figures of tantric sadhana in their own right. [9]

Yeshe Tsogyal is said and believed to have been the female Buddha of Vajrayana. Additionally she is known as one of the five tantric consorts [10] of Padmasambhava.

In our times Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, a Tibetan Buddhist nun in the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school, stated "I have made a vow to attain Enlightenment in the female form - no matter how many lifetimes it takes".[11]

Buddhist Ordination of Women

Gotama Buddha first ordained women as nuns five years after his enlightenment and five years after first ordaining men into the sangha. The first nun was his aunt and foster mother Mahapajapati Gotami. Gotama Buddha refused Mahapajapati's request for ordination three times but when asked by Ananda if women could achieve nirvana and be arhats, confirmed that they could. Eventually Gotma concedes that, with certain provisos, women can be ordained. According to Peter Harvey "The Buddha's apparent hesitation on this matter is reminiscent of his hesitation on whether to teach at all", something he only does after persuasion from various devas.[12]

Motherhood in Buddhism

The status of motherhood in Buddhism has traditionally reflected the Buddhist perspective that dukkha, or suffering, is a major characteristic of human existence. The historical Buddha Shakyamuni's own mother, called Queen Maya had a certain following, especially in Lumbini, where she gave birth. [13]. Since Mahamaya died some days after his birth, Gotama Buddha was brought up by a fostermother, the sister of his mother, Mahapajapati, who also had two children of her own. She become the first buddhist nun. Both of her children, her son Nanda and her daughter Sundari became buddhist monk and nun (see also:Nanda (Buddhist nun)).

Well-known female buddhists

Tina Turner

Female buddhist Tulkus/teachers

See also


References

  1. ^ Bernard Faure (2003). "Introduction". The Power of Denial: Buddhism, Purity, and Gender. Princeton University Press. p. 3. ISBN 0691091714.
  2. ^ Shaw, Miranda (1994). Passionate Enlightenment::Women in Tantric Buddhism. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. pp. p.27. ISBN 0-691-01090-0. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  3. ^ a b Diana Y. Paul, Frances Wilson (1985). Women in Buddhism:Images of the Feminine in Mahāyāna Tradition. University of California Press. ISBN 0520054288. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |Chapter= ignored (|chapter= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Gross, Rita M. (1992). Buddhism After Patriarchy: A Feminist History, Analysis and Reconstruction of Buddhism. State University of New York Press. pp. pp. 43. ISBN 0791414035. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  5. ^ Murcott, Susan (1991). The First Buddhist Women:Translations and Commentary on the ' 'Therigatha' '. Parallax Press. pp. p. 4. ISBN 0-938077-42-2. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  6. ^ José Ignacio Cabezón (1992). Buddhism, Sexuality, and Gender. p. 3. ISBN 0791407586.
  7. ^ "Aggana Sutta:On Knowledge of Beginnings of Human Kind" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-07-07.
  8. ^ Shaw, Miranda (1994). Passionate Enlightenment:Women in Tantric Buddhism. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. pp. p.27. ISBN 0-691-01090-0. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  9. ^ Shaw, Miranda (1994). Passionate Enlightenment:Women in Tantric Buddhism. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. pp. p.27. ISBN 0-691-01090-0. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  10. ^ The Five Consorts
  11. ^ Mackenzie, Vicki (1998). Cave in the Snow. Great Britain: Bloomsbury. pp. p.5. ISBN 0-7475-4389-5. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  12. ^ Harvey, Peter (2000). An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics. Cambridge University Press. pp. p.384. ISBN 9780521556408. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  13. ^ Temple of Mahadevi at Lumbini
  14. ^ see bottom of page: Jetsun Kushok Chimey Luding Rinpoche


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