Dear Friend, I am full of gratitude for your kind support and direction to these sites which I will definitely peruse. Regarding my comments about inclusion, I was referring to some of the EBT that categorized sex and gender variation as taboo or as a lower caste of people. I am not an expert on these texts but I did encounter many references by other posters regarding some of the rules about people whose sex and gender expression made them seem less valuable. Much of this is my own interpretation, but the implications seem clear.
And there was also the time last year when in search of a Buddhist community, I reached out to the spokesperson of what was ironically called ‘The Rainbow Sangha’, and was tethered to the approval of some Buddhist folk who were considering forming a sangha in my area. But when I mentioned my trans-ness my inclusion was held up for inspection. Here is the link to my description of the event and the ensuing discussion which was not entirely supported of my discourse.
I hope that my emoting is not perceived as self victimization as I really feel supported and welcome here among some of the wisest people I have ever encountered, and I have benefited much from their collective wisdom. Yet as I perceive them, the early writings of Buddha set the context for a large segment of the global Buddhist community to discriminate.
I have always thought of humans as spirit whose physical presence is merely the clothes we wear as we wander through this material world. Others apparently do not share this vision.
Mucho Metta to you for your compassion and wisdom. Your support is invaluable. Namaste!