4.3: Women in Buddhism

Famous women:

·       Mahapajapati Gotami:

o   Buddhas aunt and foster mother, first ordained Bhikkhuni.

o   "By your nurturing was reared my flawless dharma-body."

o   Buddha:

§  "Gotami, show miracles, that they might give up their false views."

o   She has God like traits. E.g. flying...

·       Kisagotami:

o   Wife of a wealthy man.

o    Tale of Kisagotami in the Dhammapada which demonstrates impermanence.

o   "Having defeated the army of death, free of fermentations I dwell."

·       Queen Malika:

o   Improved the kingdom she ruled.

o   Jataka Tales.

o   Sent to hell for sex with a dog, then sent to heaven later on.

·       Antapati:

o   Buddha turned down a rich man seeking enterance into the Sangha, but instead received Antapati.

Gender roles and the Sangha:

·       Sponberg on Buddhist attitudes to women:

o   "Soteriological inclusiveness."

·   Women would ordain in order to escape the prejudice Brahmanism etc...

o   Critiques argued that women only joined the nuns to escape from harder times, not to seek salvation.

·       Pure land:

o   Amitabha:

§  Pure Land is only populated by men.

·       Zen:

o   Dogen:

§  "Forget about such things as male and female."

·       Buddha:

o   "It would be better that your penis be stuck into the mouth of a black viper than into a woman's vagina."

·       Dhammananda:

o   "No doubt at all that the Buddha was the first religious teacher who gave women equal and unfettered opportunity."

·   There are 84 more monastic rules for Bhikkhunis than Bhikkhus.

·       Bhikkhuni line eventually died out.

o   Harvey:

§  "Due to widespread famine and poverty."

Gender roles and lay/family life:

·   Status of women in Brahmanistic society:

o   No female deities in Vedas.

§  Buddha:

·       "Unclean, bad-smelling, timid."

o   Usually stereotypical female figures in stories.

o   Brahmins:

§  All priests = Male.

o   Females would have their tongue cut out for reading the scriptures.

·       "Women are worthy of being beaten."

·       Female duties:

o   serve husband and home.

·   Buddhism develop gender roles from Brahmanism:

o   Individual Karma.

o   Buddha to Kind Pasadeni:

§  "A woman of a certain sort is better than a man."

·       Majjhima Nikaya:

o   "In crossing the river... crocodiles are a designation for women."

·       Vajrayana:

o   Some women may be Gods residing in human form, and so all women should be respected just in case.

·   Buddha praised Sunjata who was mother of the Sangha.

o   Most lay women are housewives.

·   Modern day = bit better but still pretty bad in Asia = Sex industry.

·       Funerals = equal.

·       Sigalovada Sutta:

o   Duty to "hand over authority to the wife."

·       Anguttara Nikaya:

o   "It cannot happen that a woman may become a Tathagata."

·       Theravada on Parenting:

o   Buddha:

§  "A female offspring, o king, may prove even more noble than a male."

Gender roles and Buddhist teachings:

·   Ultimately, when seeking enlightenment, the body and its prejudices are left behind.

o   Sponberg:

§  Gender is not "Ultimately real."

·       Buddha:

o   Should not cling to views.

§  Only do what will help the pursuit of enlightenment.

·   Mahayana concepts such as upaya.

·       Theri-Apadana:

o   "There are still fools who doubt that women can grasp the truth."

·       Dalai Lama:

o   "I would call myself a feminist."

o   Next Lama could be a woman, but "she must be very attractive."

·       Mahayana:

o   Taras as the female manifestation of qualities.

o   Lotus Sutra:

§  Daughter of the Dragon King attains enlightenment.

§  "The gross bodies of men and women are equally suited."

·   Vs women have an "inferior birth."

o   Both rebirths are equal.

·       Theravada:

o   Jataka Tales:

§  "Excepting the world of the brahmas, there is nowhere bereft of womankind."

·       Vs "Women never tire of sex, it is the nature of their birth."

o   Male rebirth is higher than female.

§  Buddhaghosa:

·       "The male appearance is higher, the female appearance is lower."

o   They worry that women may join to have an easier life, not for spiritual access.

Key Scholars:

·       Salgado:

o   Argues that this whole debate is a western imposition.

§  Doesn't matter to the nuns.

o   Nuns "challenge, ignore or bypass apparent structure of male domination."

·       Bartholomeusz:

o   Critiquing the dire situation of many women.

o   Bhikkhuni line as "restored."

o   "Women needed guidance" which they did not receive.

 KEY QUOTES

Women- N S Salgado and T Bartholomeusz

·       Salgado on Western equality and nuns = ‘a secular liberal narrative that does not measure up to their lived lives’

·       Salgado on Buddhism colonialism and equality = ‘articulate colonial discourse’

·       Salgado on nuns vs monks = Nuns ‘challenge, ignore or bypass apparent structure of male domination’

·       Bartholomeusz on revival of Bhikkhunis = ‘restored’

·       Bartholomeusz on downfall of female sangha = ‘women needed guidance’ which they didn’t receive

·       Bartholomeusz on western equality = ‘inclusivist attitudes’ result from a ‘colonial mentality’