A post was split to a new topic: Role of celibacy in Buddhism
Great point.
Yeah, no thanks. If we look at texts dating before the Common Era, there’s no homophobia in Buddhist texts, or indeed, so far as I know, in any Asian texts. And if you look at other scriptural traditions—such as the Greeks for example—homophobia is far from universal, where it exists at all. Let’s not assume that what is true of the Abrahamaic tradition is true of everyone. Or should I say, that what is true of a few Bible verses is true of everyone.
As far as sexism goes, a little nuance would be in order. There are a few problematic passages in the early Buddhist texts—which I have often discussed—and I don’t think this is among them. But it’s simply not true to say as a blanket statement that ancient “texts” are sexist.
Moreover, this assumes that “our” modern perspective is somehow more evolved than that of people in the past. It’s more complex than that. Moderns are sexist as hell. We have no vantage point of virtue on which to judge people of the past. A basic concept like believing women when they speak of sexual harassment is mandated in the Pali Vinaya, but practically ignored in almost every modern institution.
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This was the opposite of what I hoped for when I split this topic off from another thread. … It’s sad when we realise that before expressing a personal difficulty we need to reaffirm a faith that we have assumed everybody here takes for granted. … It’s heartening to know that you have true spiritual friends here.
I hope we can all learn something from what Anne has written here, about something helpful we might have done. What I’ve learned is that when I was writing the Opening Post, I might have helped a little to have added a reminder about this.
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It’s so easy to mansplain these sorts of things away and tell women the problem is that they are attached to their identity and that’s why they suffer. As if that explanation is suddenly going to change all the higher instances of domestic violence, lower wages, fear of walking down the street alone etc etc. You can’t just magic away gender because actually in daily life it matters…
Men are usually privileged not to expect bad conditions just because of their gender. But men so often forget that they are extremely attached to their identity too!
It’s so important that we acknowledge where gender matters and how it relates to suffering on personal and social levels, so that we don’t spiritually bypass these things using some exaggerated idea of transcendence that devalues the realities of people’s daily experience. In our spiritual practice it takes wisdom to be able to balance understandings of the transcendent and mundane in ways that don’t deny the reality of either.
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That’s the ultimate goal, for sure. Most of us have many rounds of living in samsara ahead of us and feel we can do well to live our lifetimes as skillfully and compassionately as possible. The Buddha told us to abide radiating compassion and loving kindness to all around us, these beautiful qualities touch on the suffering of others and can move us to feel concern to alleviate that suffering on the mundane level in the world as well as encouraging ourselves and others to move towards transcending the world.
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This is a biased, one-sided view of life. Men experience discrimination too. And being at the receiving end of societal tarring and warped prejudices can result in the same anguish that afflicts other beings.
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Yes, of course men experience their own share of struggles. As a trans man, I know this all too well. Being a man is a much more lonely experience and there are a few aspects of life that are generally more difficult for men than women.
But women’s struggles, overall, far surpass those of men in magnitude. When it comes to gender-related issues specifically. People who’ve only ever lived as one gender in this life might not fully see the sheer magnitude of the difference. Boy, is it huge!
I find it striking that you responded the way you did because nothing you said conflicts what Bhante Akaliko said. He said men are usually privileged not to expect bad conditions just because of their gender. Which is just an easily observable reality. Nowhere did he say that men don’t experience discrimination.
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