Women in Buddhism

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Women in Buddhism

The role of women in religion, especially Eastern religions,

is a strange one. Western religions are fairly straightforward

about a women's place. For example, most Western religions

(excluding the Roman Catholic Church) allow women in leadership

roles within the religious community. Judaism allows women rabbis,

most Christian religions allow women ministers, and even Islam,

which does not allow women mullah, have had many influential female

sufi's throughout Islamic history.

Women have had similar roles in Eastern religion. However,

the big difference in Eastern religion is in the philosophical or

scriptural attitude towards women versus the actual, "everyday

role" of women.

According to the Bhagavad Gita, "...those who take shelter in

Me, though they be of lower birth -- women, vaisyas (merchants), as

well as sudras (workers) -- can approach the supreme destination."

(Bhagavad Gita, 9:32) This places women in a spiritual role

similar to that of men. However, because of the place of women in

traditional Indian society, women are thought to be inferior. This

is clearly expressed in the Gita in a number of chapters. Women

are thought to be untrustworthy and stupid, easily corrupted

(1:40), and a hindrance to men on the path to liberation (16:11-

12).

The Manu-samhita, a Hindu book that lays down "the law of the

human race," explains that women should not be given freedom and

should be protected at all times. According to Swami Prabhupada,

the leader of the Krishna Consciousness movement, "That does not

mean that women are to be kept as slaves, but they are like

children. Children are not given freedom, but that does not mean

they are kept as...

... middle of paper ...

...untries, such as Japan, Korea and

India, develop more equality towards women, female religious

teachers should become much more common. This may be just what

Buddhism needs to shake it from its lethargy, and give it a boost

of much needed energy. As it stands now, the United States has

become the spiritual center for Buddhism, a fact that has a lot to

do with the role of women in these traditions.

WORKS CITED

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, trans. Bhagavad Gita As It

Is. New York: Collier Books, 1972.

Bays, Gwendolyn, trans. The Lalitavistara Sutra. Berkeley, CA:

Dharma Publishing, 1983.

Coomaraswamy, Ananda. Buddha and the Gospel of Buddhism.

Secaucus, NJ: Citadel Press, 1988.

Tworkow, Helen. Butsumon. Spring 1990. San Francisco: Buddhist

Bookstore and Buddhist Churches of America.

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