American Buddhist Women and Gender

Women in Buddhism
Kevin Hickey
Jan. 18, 2012 Graduate Assistant in the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies Department Presented for REL 301 Oakland University

Outline
Brief overview of Buddhism
Buddhist Women in the Canon
Buddhist Philosophy and Gender
Buddhist Women in America

Overview of Buddhism
Buddhism is the 4 th largest religion in the world with about 500 Million adherents (7.13%)
Buddhism originated in Northern India between the 6th-4th centuries BCE
Buddhism has two major schools, Theravada and Mahayana. Zen is a popular sub-school within Mahayana
The main purpose of Buddhism is to reduce suffering and to attempt to see the world clearly by understanding and following the 4 Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path

Theravada Buddhism
Theravada translates as “ Teaching of the Elders ”
Theravadan Buddhism tends to be more conservative than Mahayana and generally closer to original Indian Buddhism. Today there are more than 100 Million Theravadan Buddhists
Mostly found in South Eastern Asian countries such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia, and Burma
One of the main objectives of Theravada is to become an “ arhat ” – one who has reached awakening or Nirvana

Mahayana Buddhism
Mahayana translates to “Great Vehicle”
Mahayana Buddhism has more followers than Theravada as it is more widespread
Mahayana Buddhism can be found primarily in China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, and Vietnam
The objective of Mahayana Buddhist is to cultivate the one’s self to become a Bodhisattva, or spiritual warrior, one who puts off their own awakening so that they may help others

Zen
Zen is a type of Buddhist school under the umbrella of Mahayana Buddhism
‘ Zen’ is simply the Japanese word to that has been popularized to describe the meditative school.
‘ Zen’ was originally transmitted to China (where it is called ‘ Chan ’ ) under the first Chinese patriarch, Bodhidharma
This school is common in China, Japan, Korea and also in the West
Zen schools emphasize experiential wisdom and self-realization through meditation

The 4 Noble Truths
The 4 Noble Truths are one of the central teachings in Buddhism
The 4 Noble Truths explain explain the nature of dukha ( suffering), its causes, and how it can be overcome
The 4 Noble Truths are:
The truth of Dukha
The truth of the origin of Dukha
The truth of the cessation of Dukha
The of the Path leading to the cessation of Dukha (The Noble Eightfold Path)

The Noble Eightfold Path
The Noble Eightfold Path describes the method and the necessary components to reduce suffering
It is a practical guideline for ethical and mental development
The Eight different aspects are not a sequence of single steps but rather interdependent principles which are taught to be practiced in daily life

Women in the Buddhist Canon Primary Source: Roitman, Judy. “ Women Zen Ancestors, a Second Take. ” Retrieved from: kansaszencenter.org on 1/17/12 The Buddha ’ s stepmother, Mahapajapatai was ordained as the first Buddhist nun but only after initial hesitation and denial Therigatha - “ Verses of the Elder Nuns ” is a collection of poems and verses written by the first Buddhist nuns describing their experiences and gives us good insight to the position of women at the time of the Buddha The Sutra of the Buddha Teaching the Seven Daughters shows the potential for women to achieve great spiritual heights and the possibility to reach awakening The Dragon King ’ s Daughter in the Lotus Sutra shows an 8 year old girl reaching Nirvana The Vimalakirti Sutra deconstructs not only gender, but all dualities as as not being representative of ultimate reality

Buddhist Philosophy and Gender Primary Source: Gross, Rita. “ Is the Glass Half-Empty or Half-Full? A Feminist Assessment of Buddhism at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century. ” Feminist Theology 2008 16:291 Buddhist Philosophy has potential for deconstructing gender Why didn ’ t this potential manifest historically? What are the changing situations in contemporary world in both Asia and America?

Tara ’ s Vow Primary Source: Gross, Rita. “ Is the Glass Half-Empty or Half-Full? A Feminist Assessment of Buddhism at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century. ” Feminist Theology 2008 16:291 “ In this life, there is no such distinction as ‘ male ’ and ‘ female ’ ... and therefore, attachment to ideas of ‘ male ’ and ‘ female ’ is quite worthless. Weak-minded worldlings are always deluded by this. ” Tara is a female Bodhisattva and meditation deity popular in Tibetan Buddhism who vows to take female form continuously throughout Bodhisattva career and continued rebirths

‘ The Dharma is Neither Male nor Female ’ Primary Source: Gross, Rita. “ Is the Glass Half-Empty or Half-Full? A Feminist Assessment of Buddhism at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century. ” Feminist Theology 2008 16:291 The main point in Tara’s saying, in line with The Vimalakirti Sutra and Buddhist Philosophical Thought in general is that gender and dualities do not express ultimate reality This is based on other Buddhist concepts of Shunyata (Emptiness) and Pratityasamutpada (Dependent Origination) Dependent Origination is the Buddhist doctrine that states that all things are interdependent and are subject to causes and conditions Emptiness states that nothing has an independent or permanent essence and that all things are temporal constellations of multiple components and subject to change Attributing reality to labels and designations misses the point

How ‘ Weak Worldlings ’ Become Deluded Primary Source: Gross, Rita. “ Is the Glass Half-Empty or Half-Full? A Feminist Assessment of Buddhism at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century. ” Feminist Theology 2008 16:291 If the philosophy and theories regarding ‘ultimate reality’ and Emptiness should allow for equal participation and opportunity then why weren’t this attitudes carried out? One reason is because habits and modes of thinking are deep-rooted and reinforced, often unconsciously and can lead to defining oneself according to habits Another reason is that our untrained minds naturally attribute invariant and fixed meaning to gender and other arbitrary labels Many Asian cultures have historically been patriarchal and like most religious institutions, culture has a significant influence

Problems Faced Historically in Asia Primary Source: Gross, Rita. “ Is the Glass Half-Empty or Half-Full? A Feminist Assessment of Buddhism at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century. ” Feminist Theology 2008 16:291 Women have also faced institutional discrimination in many monastic systems and communities in several countries Female monastics have had to adhere to more rules and restrictions than their male counterparts Doctrine and Philosophy has been a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it supports equal liberation but when criticisms were brought up, women have been told not to get ‘hung up’ on gender Women have often not had access to Full Ordination which is necessary to become a teacher or leader

Undoing the Delusion Primary Source: Gross, Rita. “ Is the Glass Half-Empty or Half-Full? A Feminist Assessment of Buddhism at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century. ” Feminist Theology 2008 16:291 In recent years there has been more consistent, honest, and better teaching concerning gender Teachers haven been working to cultivate skillful means in dealing with gender criticism There needs to be a stop to promoting the status quo and and start overcoming ignorance of it Traditional societies need to start honoring women as teachers and providing better opportunities for leadership The growing historical and academic inquiry into Buddhist Women has helped raised awareness

Buddhism in America Most estimates average that there are somewhere between 4-5 Million Buddhists in the United States There are 800,000+ Euro/American Buddhist converts of which about 50% are women The Harvard Pluralism Project has more than 2,000 Buddhist Centers/Temples in its directory The United States has the largest Buddhist population among western countries Buddhism is the 4 th largest religion in the US, comprising 0.7% of the total population http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma/survey.html

‘ American ’ Buddhism Primary Source: Gross, Rita. “ Buddhist Women ’ s Issues in Contemporary North American Buddhism ” In Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America. Edited by Rosemary Skinner Keller and Rosemary Radford Ruether. Indiana University Press, 2006, pp. 1207-1213 American Buddhism is diverse, unlike most Buddhist countries that have a generally homogenous culture, in the US, one can find many different Buddhist traditions While many different Buddhist traditions are present in America, there is little interaction between different ethnic groups and traditions Most American Buddhists are Asian immigrants Americans started converting in the 1960s after the first generation of Asian teachers started arriving on the West Coast “ American Buddhism ” usually refers to the American Convert Buddhists and not Asian immigrant Buddhists

American Buddhist Women Primary Source: Gross, Rita. “ Buddhist Women ’ s Issues in Contemporary North American Buddhism ” In Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America. Edited by Rosemary Skinner Keller and Rosemary Radford Ruether. Indiana University Press, 2006, pp. 1207-1213 Buddhism has historically adapted to the culture and has been assimilated into cultural belief systems rather then imposing on the culture and forcing change Buddhism takes on distinct forms in each culture. Tibetan Buddhism has a different form than Korean Buddhism “ American Buddhism ” is evolving differently due to different conditions, time, culture, and attitudes The timing of the arrival of Buddhism in the US coincided with the rising Feminist movements Gender equality is a high priority in US law and culture Women are more visible in all aspects of Buddhism compared with both traditional and contemporary Asia

Buddhist Women in Action Primary Source: Dugan, Kate. “ Women in Buddhism in the U.S. ” Pluralism Project Report, Harvard University 2006, First Buddhist Women ’ s Conference was held in 1983 Turning the Wheel: American Women Creating the New Buddhism published in 1988 Sakyadhita International Association for Buddhist Women Women have influenced and changed male-centered liturgies Dhammadharini, the first US nunnery opened in 2005 BPF ’ s Prison Program started in 1998 by a Buddhist woman Women Scholar/Practitioners 23%

Challenges in America Primary Source: Gross, Rita. “ Buddhist Women ’ s Issues in Contemporary North American Buddhism ” In Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America. Edited by Rosemary Skinner Keller and Rosemary Radford Ruether. Indiana University Press, 2006, pp. 1207-1213 Even in America, women still face traditional male dominance Both men and women outside of Asia have to manage living in a Non-Buddhist Community Because Buddhism is a minority religion in the West, Training and Practice Availability can be difficult to access in certain areas Women across most cultures have think about how to balance family life and raising children while maintaining their practice Economic Paradox – American Buddhism does not have the same economic support base and symbiotic relationship between the monastic and lay communities as there is in Asia

Notable Western Buddhist Women Pema Chodron Tenzin Palmo Karma Lekshe Tsomo Author/Teacher Gampo Abbey Founder of: Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery President of: Sakyadhita IABW

Notable Western Buddhist Women Joan Halifax Sharon Salzberg Thubten Chodron Abbess Upaya Zen Center Author/Co-Founder IMS Founder Sravasti Abbey

Notable Western Buddhist Women Pat O ’ Hara Haju Sunim P ’ arang Geri Larkin Founder Village Zendo Resident Priest Ann Arbor Zen Temple Founder Still Point Zen Buddhist Temple

Resources & Contact Info Bup Mee Sunim [email_address] Muddy Water Zen 2421 Yale Ave, Royal Oak muddywaterzen.org Buddhism After Patriarchy: A Feminist History, Analysis, and Reconstruction of Buddhism by Rita M. Gross

American Buddhist Women and Gender

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