Buddhism In Religion

In both Indian and Mesopotamian societies, goddesses were very powerful. This can help explain why women were respected, even in patriarchal society. In India, there is a story about how a goddess saved the world. “There is the story of the terrible demon Raktabija (Blood-seed). This demon was, like most demons, causing a great deal of trouble with people and gods alike but even worse was his ability to produce more demons every time a drop of his blood spilt to the ground. Therefore, each time Raktabija was attacked, the only result was more demons to deal with. The gods decided to work together and combine all of their shakti or divine energy and produce one super being that could destroy Raktabija; the result was Kali (in another version only Durga

Throughout history, women are always seen as the weaker gender. Although it is not true, people has often brought into this idea of

Unfortunately the Theravada Buddhists don’t believe in equality for men and women, they still respect and honour women but they believe that women cannot reach the spiritual greatness that mean can quire, this is why only men can be enlightened (those who are enlightened are given the name of arhats). But if a women’s karmic energy is very good, they

In Envisioning Women in World History, by Catherine Clay, Chandrika Paul, and Christine Senecal many of the societies treated their women as in superior to men especially in religious cultures. These societies believed that men were superior intellectually and physically restraining women from many experiences. Although the laws that women had to endure became harsher when religion was involved most of the times. Some of the hardships that women before 1500 had to endure were, lack of citizenship in Greece and Rome, arranged marriages, and not being able to leave the house alone. Most women had to go through tougher times then men after the Paleolithic era, but the ones that had the least amount of power were the Muslims. Christian women

Karen Christina Lang's article "Images of Women in Early Buddhism and Christian Gnosticism" discusses with regard to how women were perceived by early Buddhist and Christian Gnostic communities. These two cultures are generally regarded as being very different, but they both had a very similar understanding of the role of women. Women were seen as being dominated by their emotions while men were rational thinkers and were often influenced to abandon their principles as a result of their relationship with women. The article relates to a series of ideas concerning Early Buddhism and Christian Gnosticism in an attempt to shed more light on the matter.

Under both Buddhism and Judaism, women are viewed as sexual temptresses. Both segregate genders in religious settings, both regard women as the main form of temptation away from enlightenment and, in both cases, these prejudices can be traced to the formation of the religions

Before Shakyamuni went on his journey to reach enlightenment, he lived a fortuitous lifestyle. He was educated and trained to become his father’s successor. At sixteen, Siddhartha married a princess, Yashodhara. His life in Royalty had him engaged in the “delusions”. It wasn’t until he left the palace to go for a walk that he encountered Four signs: an old man, a sick person, and a dead body and a monk. The old man, a sick person, and a corpse gave him the clarity that life is short because it won’t last forever. At the age of twenty-nine, Siddhartha decided to leave his royal fortune, his wife and son to embark on an ascetic path through the teachings of Arada Kalama and Rudraka Rampurature, but he later realized that the road wasn’t for him. He left his ascetic teachers to seek his enlightenment. It took six years till Siddartha could find a place to call his sanctuary. He found his sanctuary, a place where he could meditate under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya,

In Buddhist societies, women were seen as inferior to men. They were marginalized in early Buddhist societies and had many limitations placed on their spiritual enlightenment. They were not permitted to become bodhisattvas and forced to instead become nuns. They were also looked down upon because of their strong attachments to worldly things. Although they were marginalized, women still felt a strong spiritual bond to the religion that it was worth the discrimination to obtain the spiritual gain from the Buddhist society. Seeing these problems of how women were viewed and treated we might question in what ways were they marginalized socially in early Buddhist societies?

Most would not consider religion synonymous with homosexuality. In fact, when thinking of the two terms, one assumes they’re polar opposites. They’re deemed constructs with the inability to coexist with one another. This idea likely roots from the perception of how religion has reacted toward homosexuality in the past,which has been for the most part, negative. However, in modern day society, with the changes of how mankind perceives itself, homosexuality and religion have been able to coexist with one another. Seeing how the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans community,simply shortened down to the LGBT community, interacts with Buddhism highlights how religion and varying sexual orientations can create unity as opposed to a divide. Deconstructing

along with the achievements of other nuns, demonstrates that women’s hardship and struggle were valued and respected in Buddhism. This empowered women because it shows that even though women faced personal hardships and they lived in a dominant male society, these women still attained Nirvana. In addition, the creation of the Therigatha is an evidence of women’s literary contribution during the early Buddhism. The Therigatha is honored and respected by the members, demonstrating that women as writers were equally recognized as their male counterparts (Barua, 1997, p. 187). It shows that women were not only acknowledged in their spiritual achievements, but also their ability to write a well-known scripture that could serve as a positive encouragement

Unfortunately the Theravada Buddhists don’t believe in equality for men and women, they still respect and honour women but they believe that women cannot reach the spiritual greatness that mean can quire, this is why only men can be enlightened (those who are enlightened are given the name of arhats). But if a women’s karmic energy is very good, they

The doctrine and basic values of Buddhism are based centrally in equality and provide equal opportunity for both genders, and indeed all sentient beings, to attain enlightenment and the realization of the true Buddha within. However, an interesting discrepancy within the Buddhist traditions occurs in the societal interpretations of Buddhism and the resulting rules and regulations that can show less than equal treatment and valuation of female members. As a religion that gives strong support of logically and empirically constructed morals, it is worthwhile to note that many of the societal views of women show a portrayal of the female that has not caught up with

The scholarly article "Images of Women in Early Buddhism and Christian Gnosticism" by Karen Lang explores why negative attitudes towards women persisted in early Buddhist and Gnostic communities even while women engaged in important roles in those particular communities. This article takes a truly critical look at why and how these views of women persisted, why they were so negative and the specific nuances of these negative views. In fact, Lang makes a truly astute and comprehensive observation about these negative views of women: Lang illuminates immediately in her article that while many people view Buddhism and Christianity as completely distinct, perhaps even opposite religions, these religions are in fact somewhat evocative of one another, particularly in their treatment of women, their view of the human condition (as being stricken with struggles regarding sensuality), and the necessity of ascetic practices. Lang explores how these Christian and Buddhist authors both "perceived women as less rational than men and more susceptible to the weaknesses of the flesh; their writings vilified women's bodies as 'impure' and 'defective' by nature. These texts associate women with the body and all of its unpleasant functions. In contrast to men, women were symbols of sensual mentality. Liberation for women involved a transformation of the female body and a repudiation of their female nature" (Lang, 95). This aspect of

For women, they were believed to be simple-minded beings who were inferior, obedient, and subordinate to men. Though they were educated, it was not on par with that of men education as only men could pursue University. A few, perhaps of aristocracy, were even allowed to create literature but only those that qualified as 'women text' such as translations or religious text.

A woman in today’s society is somewhat equal to a man’s, or any other person for that matter. Things back before the 1500’s were very strict for women, women basically had no rights. Women had no right to vote, no freedom of speech, women did not work back in the 1500’s they were stay at home mom’s, and took care of their households, and wifely duties. In the ancient times women had their places, and what their roles were supposed to be. It was very important for a woman to know what her role in life is, and how to handle herself. In many countries, the women had very