Religion: Gender Inequality

The life of most Buddhist women consisted of motherhood, housework and devotional practices. Even though they are more monks than nuns, women still represented half of practising Buddhist, thus allowing women to enter temples that would allow them to separate themselves from their normal domestic life. As women were given recognition from early Buddhism it has allowed them to have a higher social mobility that has allowed them to become a teacher where they are in no way second to men, thus allowing them to have status and not be inferior to men.

In many cultures, the roles of women vary reluctantly. While researching the many aspects of Buddhism, the religion is sometimes practiced differently and the roles of women differs. According to Experiencing World Religions, (Molloy, 127) Buddhism is one of the world's oldest yet most significant religions thus far. It has influenced many cultures, originating from India and making its way to migrate throughout the country of Asia, and women have been involved since the very first day. In today’s society, although men are predominantly inferior over women, women are granted the same opportunities. Just like many other societies in other countries or many other religions there are discriminations and prejucial acts against women. Although, woman are offered the second class citizenship in many Buddhist traditions, a woman's role is very important when helping maintain the religion resulting in mass population of worshipers , fulfilling the duties as caregivers and also wives to their husbands, and also providing any assistance if needed in the community. (Molloy, 127)

The Sangha, the Buddhist monastic order, comprises Bhikku (monks), Bhikkuni (nuns), laymen, and laywomen. While the Bhikku and Bhikkuni depend upon the laywomen and men for economic support, the lay community depends on them for spiritual guidance and ritualistic practices. This well-rounded mutual relationship is clearly a division not only amongst religious status, but determined by gender as well. This is quite a contradiction with the Buddhist belief that your physical self is impermanent and ultimately attachment to your illusory self will cause you suffering. The second Noble Truth states that suffering originates from our ongoing desire, a clinging to possessions, attachments, and self. Why would a religion founded in the idea of shedding attachment focus so much on gender, which is an attachment? I feel that the Buddha’s hesitation in allowing women to be initially recognized in the Sangha originates from his early childhood convictions of women, fear of the Dharma becoming further compromised, and ultimately leading to the deterioration of Buddhism altogether. The Buddha’s hesitations regarding women becoming monastics seem to be questionable because of the way women have responded to this discrimination even during the Buddha’s lifetime. These women are evidently devoted to the ideals and teachings of Buddhism because of their ability to shed attachments and embody a fully monastic lifestyle. As they are shedding their attachments they give up their gender.

According to the “Rites” [a classical text], it was a rule to begin to teach children to read at the age of eight years and by the age of fifteen years they ought then to be ready for culture training. (Strayer 2011, 245) Ban Zhao stated “Yet only to teach men and not to teach women- …” (Strayer 2011), because she felt education for women was important to maintain in a proper relationship between the men and women. In the Chinese culture, husband and wife were taught to mutually respect each other. Chinese women were controlled by their husbands. If a husband does not control his wife, then the rules of conduct manifesting his wife authority are abandoned and broken. (Strayer 2011, 245). In Chinese gender system, women were to have four qualifications, which were called Womanly Qualifications: (1) womanly virtue; (2) womanly words; (3) womanly bearing; (4) womanly work. (Strayer 2011, 246) .They were also taught to be humble. Women in the Indian culture were known for the homemakers in their society. Women were aware of the repression of women, but they were allowed to escape because of religion. Indian women became Buddhist so they could escape from households. Indian were forced to participate in rituals. Nibbana’s

Gender Issues in Religion Amongst the world religions are many different attitudes towards gender issues and sexuality. A hundred years ago, or even a lot less, these different perspectives did not exist, as they were often considered unimportant, as King noted 'until recently little attention has been paid to gender differences and their impact on religious teaching and practice. '[1] With some religions, their scriptures are considered to be infallible and therefore not to be questioned.

Theravada is believed to be the oldest form of Buddhism. The term itself comes into use later, but the Theravada tradition upholds the monastic path and adheres to the oldest surviving recorded sayings of the Buddha, collectively called the Pali canon. These original texts were set down in the Pali language by monks in Sri Lanka in the first century ce. Prior to this codification, teachings had been transmitted orally, and concern arose that original texts must be preserved in light of the growing heterodoxy that was

Religion is powerful in that it controls followers’ behaviours and beliefs throughout their entire lives; it is a form of social control. Catholicism is one of the most widely known religions influencing more than 2 billion people around the world (Ross). Within Catholicism not everyone are seen as equals; men have greater privilege than women. The bible and church are from a male’s point of view (Christ 86) and passages within the bible are used to enforce a sexual hierarchy. In fact, the oppression of women begins with the first story in Genesis about creation, which portrays females as being inferior to men and even of an evil nature. This one passage is the main source of justification of oppression of woman in the church (Daly 13).

Although Buddhist ideals are progressive and inclusive, Buddhist practices fall short in illustrating these very same ideals. Gender is undeniably an important factor in Buddhism as it unfortunately defines one’s role in the order and in many ways one’s Buddhist destiny. Since the establishment of the religion, women in Buddhism have always been inferior to men. Even as the Buddha allowed the admission of women into the Buddhist order, his formation of rules allowed the inequalities to trail right along. Gender inequality in Buddhism is contradicted in multiple aspects including Buddhist texts, teachings, practices and reality.

“My religion is simple. My religion is kindness.” stated by the Dalai Lama is a perfect way to explain Equalism. Equalism is a very new religion that was made for peace and equality. It originated from a very simple person, it has basic beliefs, a god, and a founder. Their is a place of worship for Equalism and a day of Sabbath along with a holy book also designed for this religion.

I believe gender and religion is a very interesting topic because there are many ways these two topics intermingle and affect each other. There are many ways that one could go about analyzing the complex and ever-changing relationship between religion and gender. It is important to look at the higher spiritual being or beings that are worshiped, the religious leader such as a priest or rabbi, and also the members of a certain religion and asses how gender affects it.

Now I want you to realise that the head of every man is Christ, and

Buddhism’s teachings are paradoxical in many ways, and even the very definition of Nirvana is not clear. Nirvana is not a place like heaven for Christianity, but rather an eternal state of being. It is the state in which the law of Karma and the rebirth cycle come to an end. Achieving enlightenment also implies to be able to see things as they are. Since Buddhism emphasizes the importance of the soul more than the body, I wonder if there is gender discrimination within Buddhism, and to a larger extent I find it interesting to question how the notion of gender impacts the application of the Buddhist philosophy? Therefore, I will, throughout this

As is the case for most western religions, the patriarchal systems and traditional gender ideologies of Judaism continue to be reflected and enforced within the religion. This tradition of gender inequality stems from both the texts and the long global history of the religion, and has often worked against the "fairer" sex (Gaunt 478). A large portion of Jewish law seems concerned with putting women in their place and restricting their roles as humans and spiritual beings; these ideas found a greater voice following the eruption of the feminist movement in the 1970s. However it would be prudent to remember that Halakha, Jewish law, is not solely concerned with

“In Tantric Buddhism, we are dealing with a misogynist, destructive, masculine philosophy and religion which is hostile to life – i.e. the precise opposite of that for which it is trustingly and magnanimously welcomed in the figure of the Dalai Lama.”[1] Within Tibetan Buddhism, there is an inherent contradiction regarding the status of women. Although in many aspects women are seen and treated as inferior to men, several of the ancient and fundamental values of Tibetan Buddhism, and more specifically Tantric Buddhism, emphasize equality of the sexes, universal compassion, and most importantly the significant and essential role of the woman. Tibetan Buddhist nuns have been trying to

leaders of Buddhism to be only male monks (Khuankaew). It does not matter if the nun has been