DN9 Potthapada Sutta - States of Consciousness (part 2 of 2) | Ajahn Brahm | 24 June 2018
At the end of the talk during Q&A, there is a question from USA:
“How does this sutta part of the topic of trans folks? Are they seen as legitimate consciousness with their self is different from their body?”
Ajahn Brahm’s answer focused on being accepting of people’s choices. That’s fine. He said this assumption can be offensive… (…that you feel that you are a female in a man’s body because you were a man before.) He then stressed that the stream of consciousness does change (…that a trans person might change his/her mind later)…
The assertion that people can change their mind could also offend LGBTs, especially those who insisted that “they are born this way” and that their preference “cannot be changed” and “should not change”.
Political Correctness to avoid offending anyone is a tricky business.
I don’t think Ajahn Brahm explained “why” a trans person would feel adamant about being born in the wrong biological body. Why can’t this “Identity” question be answered in terms of Dhamma?
Didn’t the Buddha stated: “All this is not mine, not I am, not the Self?” Any fixation on Identity is a delusion, but that’s normal for unenlightened human beings. Furthermore, the Buddha explained the idea of “latent tendency” (anusaya) from past karma (intention/motivation) & karmic conditioning.
To a trans person, while the body’s sex organ (& chromosome) says male or female, the mind (consciousness) decided it was wrong. Is there a clear answer from the suttas WHY a trans person feel their gender identity was so badly mistaken by everyone else?