Buddhism, Women, & Gender (A Bibliography)

[anon61506839]

D&D Forum topics

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On women:

Regarding the status of women during the life of Buddha

From the book “Mind Unshaken” by John Walters: “Buddhism has lay sisters who live as nuns but they do not play the important part in religion as the nuns do in Roman Catholicism. The Buddha’s attitude seems strange…At times he regarded them with some humor mixed with light cynicism…I see no form quite as enticing and so desirable,so intoxicating and so distracting, such a hindrance to gaining unsurpassed peace from effort- that is to say, monks as a woman form. When Ananda asked Buddha how h…

MN146 & SA276: Women in Indian Buddhism - Analayo

The first lecture in Ven. Analayo’s fantastic “Women in Indian Buddhism” E-course at the University of Hamburg. It is most likely a composite of the essay Robert posted: But still explores some very interesting ideas. https://lecture2go.uni-hamburg.de/veranstaltungen/-/v/17545

'In the Footsteps of the Buddha?: Women and the Bodhisatta Path in Theravada Buddhism' - Appleton

‘In the Footsteps of the Buddha?: Women and the Bodhisatta Path in Theravada Buddhism’ by Naomi Appleton at the University of Edinburgh. Abstract (from above source): “Although a woman can achieve the state of awakening known as arahatship, Theravāda Buddhist tradition states that a woman cannot achieve full and complete Buddhahood. More than this, a woman is unable to successfully aspire to Buddhahood, or progress on the path to it—in other words she cannot be a bodhisatta. In this article, A…

Buddhist Women -- Dhamma art-book

I’m encouraged by Ven. @yodha and her beautiful Dhamma art to share some of my own Dhamma art. “Mortal Frames” is an art-book that I made some years ago and revised more recently. (Bhante @sujato makes a guest appearance in it. It was so sporting of him, he posed for the photo with no idea how I was going to use the image – my direction to him was to “look like a stern forest monk”) Use the link below the picture to download the book. I hope you enjoy it, and feel uplifted by it. [IMG_1739] …

Women as Teachers & Disciples in EB Communities - Collett

An essay by Alice Collett entitled, “Women as Teachers and Disciples in Early Buddhist Communities: The Evidence of Epigraphy”, which was shared by @TathaalokaBhikkhuni on Facebook yesterday.

Countess Canavarro, one of the first Western Buddhist women

https://roar.media/english/life/history/the-californian-countess-and-early-lankan-feminism/

MA181 (MN115), Bahudhātuka-sutta on Women’s Inabilities by Anālayo

“The Bahudhātuka-sutta and its Parallels on Women’s Inabilities”, Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 2009, vol. 16 pp. 137–190. analayo MA181 [MN115] bahudhatuka.pdf (395.2 KB) MA181, MN115 (Source)

"Old fashioned sexist" monk (in his own words)

Bhante Jason Chan Published on Jul 20, 2017 4th and 5th duties of wives to husbands from the Sigala Sutta (DN 31). This is a excerpt of a longer talk about the 5 duties of husbands to wives and of wives to husbands. [ - YouTube] The first 8 minutes of the video is on the topic

Is there any female Buddha?

I was wondering if there is any data in the ebt revealed any previous Buddha mentioned was in female form ? And also is there any of the heavenly deva such as Lord Sakka and Lord Brahma etc has ever assume by female figure ?

Female Masters of Spirituality featuring Bhante Sujato

Continuing the discussion from A Brief Talk about Bhikkhunis - by Bhante Sujato: Dear All, Another great article on female spirituality and more [Wywiad z Bhante Sujato [NAPISY PL]] Happy holidays! with añjali and mettā, russ

Motherhood, emotion, and risk analysis

I recently wrote a post about translations can be sexist, embodying unconscious gendered assumptions. That case was unusual in that the language of the text itself was quite clear. More typically, what happens is that there are places in the text that are dark and ambiguous, and such places invite the translator to illuminate them with their own unconscious assumptions. In such cases it is much less easy to establish a correct reading based on linguistics alone, and we need a sensitive understan…

Announcing our moderators

I’d like to take a moment to introduce you to the new moderator team we’ve put together for Discourse.SuttaCentral. Everybody, please meet @brenna, @claralynn, and @anon29387788! We’ve been blessed with a polite and constructive community here so far, and I have not have the need to moderate anyone. But this is the internet, and good things don’t last. I’ll be disappearing on my 18 month retreat soon, and I wanted to make sure the forum is in good hands. We will continue to have @blake looking…

A question about the translation of SN.158 and AN 5.55

I’d very much appreciate your comments on the translation of these two sentences from SN.158 and AN 5.55. (Again this is for the same Tibetan translation project mentioned last week…We’ll be translating articles by Analayo, Sponberg, Goodwin and others. I’m asking this to help ensue that the translators, who’ll be translating from English to Tibetan, will be aware of all the potential meanings of the Pali source texts.) “Women are the stain of the holy life” (Devatāsaṃyutta, SN 1.58). Women…

Sutta related to Mothers

Dear All I am thinking of sharing a sutta related to Mothers and Children during Mother’s Day Celebration on this Friday at a preschool. Is there a short sutta related to Mother’s care for their child that would be suitable for sharing with a group of mothers and preschoolers with limited knowledge in Buddhism? Ben

Menstruation and fertility in the Pali texts

I’ve never been entirely sure what the word utunī means. Typically it’s translated as a woman “in season”. This is a literal translation, since utu means “season”. But what season is it, exactly? Here are a couple of relevant passages. In the famous passage at MN 38, conception is said to be dependent on the mother being utuni. Note that this is specifically a brahmanical idea, as made clear at MN 93. That this is a brahmanical custom is reinforced at AN 5.191, which says that traditionally b…

Is this translation of a sentence in MN 115 & AN 1.279 correct?

I’d be very grateful to hear your opinion of the translation of the following negative passage about women. I also have a few questions about the passage (see below that passage). (This is for a Tibetan translation project…It will translate 4 English language articles that argue that the negative teachings and rules for women are harmful/contradict other passages in the suttas–including teachings on the most fundamental Buddhist Dharma. They are articles by Analayo, Sponberg, Goodwin and Khuan…

Feedback on translation of excerpt from Soma Sutta

I’d very much appreciate your thoughts on this translation of a short excerpt from the Soma Sutta. Specifically, I’d love to know which lines could be translated in more than one way. (I’m arranging for a Tibetan translation and want to be sure it reflects the Pali source.) Thank you! Somā Sutta, SN 5.2 What does womanhood matter at all When the mind is concentrated well, When knowledge flows on steadily As one sees correctly into Dhamma. One to whom it might occur, ‘I’m a woman’ or ‘I…

A question about the translation of SN.158 and AN 5.55

I’d very much appreciate your comments on the translation of these two sentences from SN.158 and AN 5.55. (Again this is for the same Tibetan translation project mentioned last week…We’ll be translating articles by Analayo, Sponberg, Goodwin and others. I’m asking this to help ensue that the translators, who’ll be translating from English to Tibetan, will be aware of all the potential meanings of the Pali source texts.) “Women are the stain of the holy life” (Devatāsaṃyutta, SN 1.58). Women…

What color should a woman's skin be?

See below for exciting update! In SN 7.10, a brahmin is lamenting his ill luck, by comparison with the unencumbered freedom of the Buddha. The Buddha responds by agreeing point by point that he is, in fact, unencumbered by these things, at which the brahmin goes forth. Most of these encumbrances are quite understandable: lost oxen, ruined crops, barns where the rats “dance merrily” (in Ven Bodhis’ delightful rendering), widowed daughters, and so on. Inevitably, part of the complaint is abou…

On moderation and right speech

In response to @Mkoll, I’ll say a few words about moderation, and invite our moderators to input if they like. When I was first thinking about setting up this forum, I knew that moderation would be key. Discourse was specifically developed as a platform to encourage constructive dialogue, using design features learned from previous generations of forums. But there is only so much that can be done at a technical level. We need to take personal responsibility for what happens under our roof. For…

Opinions on the translation of short excerpts of MN 115/AN 1.279, Cullavagga X, AN 4.80

I’d be very grateful to hear your opinions of the translation of the following 4 negative passages about women. I also have a few questions about the first passage (see below that passage). (This is for a Tibetan translation project… I want to be sure the translators understand each passage-- and that they are clear about all the possible translations/connotations of each Pali word, so that they can translate the passages into Tibetan as accurately as possible.) FIRST & SECOND PASSAGE “It i…

Therīgāthā Studies - Essays by Susan Elbaum Jootla & Hellmuth Hecker

Susan Elbaum Jootla, “Inspiration from Enlightened Nuns”, Buddhist Publication Society (Kandy, Sri Lanka), 1988. Inspiration from Enlightened Nuns, Susan Elbaum Jootla.pdf (192.4 KB) Hellmuth Hecker, “Buddhist Women at the Time of the Buddha”, translated by Sister Khema, Buddhist Publication Society (Kandy, Sri Lanka), 1982. Buddhist Women at the Time of the Buddha, Hellmuth Hecker (230.0 KB)

Buddhist chants in praise of the sacred feminine

[Chod - Buddhist Chants in Praise of the Sacred Feminine]

It was not my fault!

I wrote this some time ago and want to share this here. Maybe my story will benefit somebody. Some five years ago, I found the instructions for Metta Meditation in the tradition of Ajahn Mahachatchai online and I have been meditating in this way for some time, first occasionally, later more. I never had any formal training in this type of meditation before, but the technique has helped me a lot to deal with some issues that I had suppressed with Vipassana meditation techniques. Like many wester…

Women and rebirth in Gaelic myth

Having been named after a warrior-princess from Gaelic myth of my beloved Éire (i.e. Ireland, land of the sovereign Goddess Ériu), I have always had a special interest for mythology and how it shapes our perception and identity, especially of women. Ajahn Sujato wrote extensively about this subject in his book “White Bones Red Rot Black Snakes”, but does not specifically go into the myths of Irish, pre-Roman, mythology. I am not nearly as good in writing as Ajahn Sujato, nor did I make a thoroug…

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On nuns & monastic issues:

Thai monastery’s five points in addition to 8 Garudhamma

I think it helps to have an idea of context of the recent debate around Bhikkhuni Vinaya, without which our responses can seem skewed. http://www.leighb.com/nuns2.htm With metta

MN142 Dakkhiṇā­vibhaṅga: The first nuns and the position of women in early Buddhism, by Piya Tan

1.9-Dakkhina-Vibhanga-S-m142-proto11.pdf (505.7 KB) MN142

Can an Arahant be against bhikkhuni ordination?

I just finished reading this thread: …and had a related question. Can someone become an Arahant and still be against bhikkhuni ordination? Wouldn’t it constitute wrong view, and even wrong speech and wrong action, to actively oppose women seeking ordination? Also, it seems there would be some aspect of aversion and delusion in holding anti-bhikkhuni ordination views, making it impossible to become an anagami or maybe even a sakadagami. Am I wrong?

The Validity of bhikkhunī Ordination by bhikkhus Only, According to the Pāli Vinaya

Ven. Anālayo (VA) has just published an excellent paper that summarises his research on the ordination of bhikkhunīs by bhikkhus alone: The Validity of bhikkhunī Ordination by bhikkhus Only, According to the Pāli Vinaya.pdf (310.3 KB). There is a bit of a backstory to this paper, and it occurred to me that some of you may be interested in following the trail. VA has written a number of papers on bhikkhunī ordination, one of which is On the Bhikkhunī Ordination Controversy.pdf (488.6 KB). This…

"Going Forth – for Liberation" by Ajahn Candasiri

The Alliance for Bhikkhunis recently released their commemorative issue of Present, celebrating the 2600th anniversary of the bhikkhuni sangha. One of my favorite articles in the publication is that written by Ajahn Candasiri, who writes about her experience as one of the founding nuns of the Siladhara lineage:

Inspiring bhikkhunis and laywomen in the EBTs - sutta quotes

A while ago, I promised Bhante @anon61506839 and @Gabriel to post some inspiring quotes from my collection of suttas about bhikkhunis and women in general. It took a few weeks for me to get around to doing this, but here it comes. This is not intended to be a complete list of all instances of inspiring women. Just my personal favourites. This thread is intended for quotes from EBT sources. There’s a lot of stuff in the commentaries, Apadanas etc, too, but if anyone is interested in that,…

Sayalays banned from using almsbowl

I heard from a Sayalay-friend that a recent decision by the Sangha Nayaka Committee of Myanmar has prohibited Sayalays from having or using an almsbowl and that Pa Auk Sayadaw has also told his Sayalays not to use it. For Sayalays in Myanmar, where food is provided in the monasteries, this is not a big problem. But for those who live abroad and are not allowed to use money, nor have a Kappiya, going on almsround is often their only way to provide a living. Does anybody know any more about this…

Open question to Bhante Sujato - Reform of Vinaya Pitaka

Bhante @sujato, I think you are the best person to answer my question and remove my doubts about the questions I have about the schism. I welcome the input from other members even though this is specifically addressed to Bhante Sujato. Is there a hidden agenda to reform the Vinaya Pitaka withing your circle of Sangha? Can you reform or re-write the Vinaya Pitaka without a proper council? Obviously, there will be a split in Sangha in this matter and will that amount to a schism? There is a cont…

Can a Bhikkhunī break Pārājika 1?

The first Pārājika in the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha reads: Should any bhikkhuni willingly engage in the sexual act, even with a male animal, she is defeated and no longer in communion. Now at first glance it would seem that a nun could break this rule. But once a Pārājika rule is broken, a nun is no longer in communion; is no longer a nun and can then therefore do as she likes because she no longer falls under the Vinaya. So for instance, if a nun breaks Pārājika 2, the rule on not stealing, she…

Hearing the Nuns on How Their Texts are Lived

This post was originally from the wonderful topic started by @Vimala but in the interests of keeping that thread in line with the intentions of the OP, I have moved this comment here. So I am making a guess and assuming that these texts have only started to be “lived” in the last twenty years or so… Prior to that they were “gathering dust on a shelf” as it were…? At least in the Theravada tradition? I suggest that they were initially formulated primarily as “lived” texts. That…

Bhikkhuni Vinaya Inconsistency

I was just reading the Vinaya, and noticed and inconsistency between the Bhikkhuni Patimokkha and the Bhikkhuni Vibhanga, particularly with regards to Pācittiya 2. The former (The Patimokkha) reads: Should any bhikkhuni have the hair in the tight places (armpits and pelvic areas) removed, it is to be confessed. The Vibhanga, alternatively, reads: Whatever nun should let the hair of the body grow, there is an offence of expiation. Now, I could have mismatched or misread these, but they de…

Bhikkhunis can reordain

A little background Since I became interested in supporting bhikkhuni ordination, I encountered a series of objections in the form of Vinaya arguments why women could not or should not take full ordination. I investigated most of the important ones, and these investigations ended up as a book, Bhikkhuni Vinaya Studies, which I’ll upload here for your convenience. bvs.pdf (2.0 MB) As with all my books, you can also buy a print on demand copy from Lulu if you like. In the course of investigatin…

What did the Buddha say to the bhikṣuṇīs?

(No, that title is not the beginning of a joke.) But apparently “not very much,” or at least not singling them out as such. Today I was adding some terms and phrases to my translation program, and I added one for, “The Bhagavān said to to the bhikṣus” (世尊告諸比丘). Then I thought that I should be careful, because bhikṣuṇī 比丘尼 is just one more character than bhikṣu 比丘 in Chinese, which introduces the possibility of it translating the equivalent phrase for bhikṣuṇīs incorrectly! This all is just a t…

Ayya Kathrin Vimalañāṇī's Bhikkhuni ordination

We are very happy to announce that Ayya Kathrin Vimalañāṇī’s Bhikkhuni ordination will take place in March 2018 in Los Angeles, with Ayya Gunasari from Mahapajapati Monastery as her preceptor. Thus Tilorien Monastery will soon have two bhikkhunis to support each other in their practice! Ayya Kathrin has been a nun for over three years, living and practicing with communities on four continents. May her ordination be an inspiration to her and to many people! If you would like to support this by…

Does the Buddha disagree with female ordination?

Does the female ordination has any effect on the lifespan of Buddha dhamma ?

Reference to historical Bhikkhuni Order in Burma 1000-1300 CE

I just read this now from one of the most important researchers in the recent history of Burma. Please excuse me if this passage, or this research, is already known to you. I know that there has been a lot of research and examination of the matter of Bhikkhuni ordination, including the historical dimension of it. However just in case you didn’t already know about this, i have to say that Professor Than Tun (d. 2005) was one of the most eminent researchers in Burma, with his PhD done at London Un…

Would the Buddha disagree with male ordination?

Recently on this forum someone asked the question, which I guess is of interest to some, whether the Buddha opposed female ordination. This topic has received wide attention, with books and essays by learned monks with inspiring and helpful titles like The Problems with Bhikkhunis. A question that has received much less attention is whether the Buddha disagreed with male ordination, or whether he would have disagreed with male ordination as practiced today. History has shown us that male monks …

A Response to Tricycle Interview with Shayne Clarke

The Summer 2016 issue of Tricycle Magazine contained an interview with Shayne Clarke, a Buddhist scholar who specialises in the monastic vinaya. It was all quite sensationalist, which apparently tends to be Clarke’s style. To the uninitiated it could easily give a very weird view of monastic Buddhism. A response was called for. Ven. Ānandajoti (of Ancient Buddhist Texts) alerted me to the article and asked me if I wanted to respond, which I agreed to. I did send a short version of my response t…

Secret Tribes : Bhikkhunis (in Thailand)

[Secret Tribes : Bhikkhunis] [Bhikkhuni Order : Path of Spiritual Freedom for Women]

The Santipada Sikkhamana project

A number of years ago, while I was abbot at Santi monastery, a group of us put together some resources for studying the sikkhamāna procedure for women’s ordination. The main work was by Ayya Jagariya, who did the translation work. The site looks at the issues from a number of directions, aiming to provide a set of organized resources for a close study, rather than a definitive solution. I’m very proud of the work that the team did!

More on Bhikkhunī Ordination by Bhikkhus only

Here I wish to briefly add to the earlier discussion on the validity of bhikkhunī ordination by bhikkhus only. One of the main bones of contention between Venerable Analāyo (VA) and Ajahn Ṭhānissaro (AT) is whether the Vinaya narrative, also known as the origin stories, can be used in the interpretation of the rules. VA has relied on the narrative to make sense of the Khandhaka rules on the ordination of bhikkhunīs, whereas AT has argued quite forcefully that this is inappropriate. To try to f…

Monastery Travel Pictures

Hi Friends, I hope you’re well. I’ve been home for a few weeks now and I thought it might be nice to share some pictures of my monastery-hopping travels taken over the past four months. I’ll try not to post too many because I know the Discourse server has its limits. Anyhoo, if you have your own favorite monastery pictures from your travels, please share them! Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, England (June 23-July 27, 2017) - I didn’t take many pictures at Amaravati because it was my third visit…

Santi's First Bhikkhuni Ordination!

Many congratulations to the bhikkhunis who were ordained this past weekend at Santi Forest Monastery; namely, Ayya Vajirā, Ayya Dhammavatī, and Ayya Santacārī. You can read about the beautiful ordination here: http://santifm.org/santi/2016/09/07/first-bhikkhuni-upasampada-for-santi-and-for-nsw/ Also, congratulations to the wonderful Ayya @Vimala on the occasion of her upasampada in California last month! Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu!

Bhikkhunis barred from paying respects

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1177945/female-monks-barred-from-paying-respects And this one was just posted a second after me:

How to interpret Bhikkhunī sanghādisesa 3

As a Mae Chee I sometimes go on almsround - among villages - alone. Could a Bhikkhunī do the same? What about river-crossing? Spending a night alone in her kutī ? I have downloaded Bhante Sujāto’s book on vinaya studies, but can’t open the file.

The Santipada Sikkhamana project

A number of years ago, while I was abbot at Santi monastery, a group of us put together some resources for studying the sikkhamāna procedure for women’s ordination. The main work was by Ayya Jagariya, who did the translation work. The site looks at the issues from a number of directions, aiming to provide a set of organized resources for a close study, rather than a definitive solution. I’m very proud of the work that the team did!

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/i-made-a-bhikkhuni-monastery-map/4891/

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/thai-tv-show-highlighting-the-story-of-a-bhikkhuni-in-thailand/5720

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/the-state-of-bhikkhunis-by-ayya-t/7198

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/not-keeping-the-garudhammas/7570/

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/upasampada-bhikkhuni-ordination/7365

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/a-brief-talk-about-bhikkhunis-by-bhante-sujato/2372

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/mn146-nandakovada-by-bhikkhu-analayo/560

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/ann-heirman-dharmaguptaka-nuns-vinaya-other-books/6533

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/translations-and-resources-for-non-pali-bhikkhuni-patimokkhas/5559

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/how-to-address-a-female-monastic-when-talk-or-in-a-discussion-forum/5655

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/i-will-not-pass-away-until/6144

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On Gender:

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/early-texts-ebts-what-do-they-say-about-gender-equality-as-opposed-to-inequality/389

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/thought-experiment-a-genderless-vinaya/6939

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/on-sex-gender/4621/

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/is-the-vinaya-fit-for-purpose/6711

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/sex-determination-at-time-of-ordination/6734/

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/transsexualism-the-middle-path-or-educational-karma/3464

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/is-there-a-place-in-the-west-for-a-monastery-that-is-home-to-bhikkhus-and-bhikkhunis/3209

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/the-correlation-between-dhamma-art-gender/567

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/our-perception-of-gender/7394

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/a-couple-of-sore-points-on-the-mahavastu/3192

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/developing-trans-competence-a-guide/3915

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/female-form-of-brahmavihara-chant/3668