Ugly Buddhist Women: It had to be done...

The Sexist Historical Buddha

The Buddha left Kapilavatthu and went to Vesali, which was many days' journey on foot. By that time, Mahapajapati had shaved her head and put on the robes. Together with five hundred royal women who had done the same, she walked to Vesali, thus demonstrating women's determination to be ordained and follow the Buddha. Once there, she sat by the entrance to the vihara, weeping, her feet swollen and bleeding from the journey. Ananda, the Buddha's cousin and attendant saw the women, spoke with them and learned of their problem. He approached the Buddha on their behalf saying, "Mahapajapati, your aunt and stepmother, is here, waiting for you to give her permission to join the order." Again, the Buddha said, "Do not ask so." Ananda tried another tact, "After all, your aunt is also your stepmother. She was the one who fed you with her milk." The Buddha still refused. Then Ananda asked, "Are you not giving permission because women do not have the same spiritual potential as men to become enlightened?" The Buddha said, "No, Ananda, women are equal to men in their potential to achieve enlightenment." This statement opened a new horizon in the world of religion in general at that time. Previously, no founder of any religion had proclaimed men and women to have equal potential for enlightenment.

Then, the Buddha said he would give women permission to join the order if Mahapajapati would accept the eight gurudhamma-eight important rules-as the nuns' garland to decorate themselves. Mahapajapati did. One of these rules is very annoying to many Western Buddhist scholars; it says that a nun ordained even a hundred years must bow to a monk ordained but one

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

It had to be done...

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