Neon Genesis Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 A friend of mine linked me to this video about the conflicts about female Buddhist monks: I just don't get why people think women are incapable of leadership roles and that if women get leadership roles, it's going to be the end of society or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixentrox Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 And some people think Buddhism is some form of perfection in religion without the hangups that Christianity has. It's all bullshit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurari Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 Buddhism is much saner than Christianity, but it still requires a lot of work like all spiritual pursuits. Not too many people willing to do that no matter what they believe or don't believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ Fuego ♦ Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 It's all about maintaining control, though I'm not sure why it divides so often between sexes. Spousal abuse is nearly always male-dominated, though not always. Judaism has had a long tradition of subjugating females and thinking of them as unclean or spiritually dangerous. I've heard that the Celts had a very open attitude, and even married women could get laid by whomever they wanted. They didn't seem threatened by females, but appreciated their differences, and their ability to fight as nasty as the men in battle. Most societies subjugate females, perhaps because they fear them. When we would meet with our Russian friends, I always wanted to be in the group of females because they would talk about spiritual things which were far more interesting than the cars and tools that the guys would always talk about. Perhaps women are generally better at being spiritual and embracing the concepts of tolerance and compassion. I've known dogmatic women, but known far more dogmatic men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orlando Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 I don't have time to watch it all right now, but I see she says she wanted to be a female Buddhist MONK - maybe that's the problem? There have always been Buddhist nuns as far as I know, but she wants to join a male community. Having said that, I don't think Buddhism is perfct either - as far as I recall, some Buddhists even think that women can't become enlightened and they should just hope for a male incarnation. I am not sure how common that is these days though. As for spousal abuse, which is a bit of a tangent to this thread, I have heard that in surveys where both men and women are asked the same questions (have you ever been hit by your spouse etc) it seems about equal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev R Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 The Thai sangha has never allowed the ordination of women into the monastic class. A big stink was raised late last year when a fella named Ajahn Brahm ordained a group of women in Australia. Brahm was summoned to Thailand and the elders of the sect attempted to coerce him into stripping these women of their ordinations with the threat of kicking his entire group out of the order. If I recall correctly, the official party line (from Thailand) is that there is no "scriptural" basis for the ordination of women into the Thai forest tradition. I guess they missed the story of Gautama's step-mother and wife joining the sangha as Bikkhuni or the additional precepts outlined in the vinaya for female members of the sangha. If you want to see some absolutely stupid rules, I would recommend a read of the vinaya precepts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orlando Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Oh I see - it would be clearer though to talk about how they are not able to be nuns in Thailand then, not "monks", which confuses the issue. Women can't be Christian "monks" either. Seems odd as it is supposedly something instituted by the Buddha himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev R Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 Oh I see - it would be clearer though to talk about how they are not able to be nuns in Thailand then, not "monks", which confuses the issue. Women can't be Christian "monks" either. Seems odd as it is supposedly something instituted by the Buddha himself. Well "monk" and "nun" are loose translations of bikkhu and bikkhuni. A more literal translation would be "homeless brother/sister". Is the lady speaking English or is she being translated? The Thais are the only group I can remember where women ordaining is a issue. There are groups as you mentioned who maintain that a woman must be reborn as a man in order to attain enlightenment, but I'm not familiar with the basis of the claim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orlando Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 The Thais are the only group I can remember where women ordaining is a issue. There are groups as you mentioned who maintain that a woman must be reborn as a man in order to attain enlightenment, but I'm not familiar with the basis of the claim. Me neither. I have read that supposedly the Buddha taught that there was no obstacle to it. While I disagree with his metaphysics and to some extent with other issues like his ideas about renunciation and detachment and his negative view towards sensual pleasures, I do think he was admirable in some ways, and would be surprised and disappointed if he had claimed women had to be reborn as men to be enlightened. It sounds uncharacteristic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixentrox Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 Some of the sects and teachings say it is impossible for a woman to attain Buddahood. They must be reborn as men first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev R Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 Some of the sects and teachings say it is impossible for a woman to attain Buddahood. They must be reborn as men first. Yes some sects do claim this, but which teachings exactly Vix? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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