Buddhist Women and Social Justice: Ideals, Challenges, and Achievements

INTRODUCTION. Family, Monastery, and Gender Justice: Reenvisioning Buddhist Institutions

INTRODUCTION Family, Monastery, and Gender Justice: Reenvisioning Buddhist Institutions KARMA LEKSHE TSOMO Buddhist women have actively worked for more than two millennia to implement Buddhist social ideals, yet rarely have their stories been told. Through the tarnished lens of history, men’s achievements have dominated the narrative of Buddhist scholarship and practice. Now, at long last, a new generation of scholars is turning its attention to the recovery of the neglected contributions made by Buddhist women. During the past fifteen years, feminist ideas have been the source of some major shifts within Buddhism, and the dialogue between feminists and Buddhists is all the richer for the multiplicity of these feminist perspectives and the Buddhist traditions that have informed them. As Buddhist thought and practice continue to enter the mainstream, international attention is focused on a range of social issues that includes both a critical appraisal of Buddhist women’s historical and contemporary experiences, as well as a feminist analysis of Buddhist texts. International conferences and symposia are frequently held to evaluate the extent to which Buddhist thought is liberating or limiting for women. Eminent Buddhist scholars, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, have publicly expressed their support for the full ordination of women, yet there remains an enormous inertia and opposition from within traditional Buddhist societies, particularly those that lack lineages of full ordination for women. The increased awareness that has resulted from global networking has inspired an international Buddhist women’s movement that is dedicated to bringing Buddhist social realities more closely in tune with Buddhist ideology. 1 The various Buddhist traditions present the goal of spiritual awakening (nirvān ˙ a) not simply as an abstraction, but as a concrete eventuality for all human beings. Buddha Śākyamuni is recorded as having explicitly affirmed the potential for women to achieve the highest spiritual goal, yet despite the rhetoric of spiritual equality in the Buddhist texts, women, in actual practice, continue to face many obstacles in their efforts to gain access to Buddhist education and full ordination. Women today have little, if any, voice in Buddhist institutions. The de facto exclusion of women from Buddhist institutions, whether conscious or unconscious, is surprising in view of Buddhist egalitarian theory. Women’s theoretical equality can even be used to mask social inequities. For example, the oft-repeated claim that women are totally equal in Buddhism diverts attention from some very blatant inequalities that exist within the Buddhist community, such as the superior status, support, and opportunities that monks enjoy. The exclusion of women from positions of power within Buddhism is currently being challenged by a growing number of women and men from a wide range of Buddhist cultures and philosophical perspectives. Efforts are being directed toward research on Buddhist women’s history, the creation of more opportunities for education, the acceptance of full ordination for women, and the full participation of women in both the practice and interpretation of the tradition. BUDDHISM AND GENDER JUSTICE Some people look upon gender discrimination as a problem that has already been solved. There are even some young Western women who declare that they have never experienced gender bias in their lives. This is doubtful, however, since sexism is prevalent in the media as well as in many other aspects of daily life. Gender-biased images stream from magazines, films, and the music and television industries. It is nearly impossible to avoid gender-biased images in the Western world, and these images have a powerful effect on the way women and men view themselves and each other. In other parts of the world, some women are acutely aware of gender inequalities, some sense a problem they are unable to articulate, while others may be completely oblivious to the problem. In Asian societies , many women simply accept gender bias because they feel helpless 2 KARMA LEKSHE TSOMO to change the situation. Not only is gender discrimination pervasive, but many women also feel they lack a support system or the skills necessary to effectively confront it. This book examines gender attitudes in Buddhist societies and how these attitudes affect the lives of women, both lay and ordained. The chapters examine how gendered attitudes are learned and how they can be unlearned through the use of philosophical, historical, and biographical approaches, as well as hands-on practical applications. The goal of all these approaches is to examine issues of gender in Buddhist societies, to raise awareness...