Women in BuddhismWomen in Buddhism were active for gender equality from the days of the Buddha itself. But before getting into the details of the status of women in Buddhism, we must acknowledge the fact that all religions of the world in some or the other way discriminate against women. The prejudice and obstacles that women face around the world are almost identical and they stem from the gender bias that is so inherent in all the religions. The root cause of all the discriminations and bias that women face in their social, cultural, political and economic life rests in religion. It all starts from the religion and then stems outward. Women are depicted as temptress and are warned against in almost all religions of the world. This is the first step towards a spiral of bias and discriminations that are meted out to women in many forms. There was a time when they were even considered less than human and they were thought to be devoid of the soul also. Buddhism as a religion is highly progressive in its outlook and in fact the first women’s liberation march was carried out by Pajapati, Buddha’s aunt some 2500 years back. She demonstrated in front of Buddha and asked for the right to establish a nuns order. Though in the beginning Buddha had some reservations about this but eventually he conceded to the demands made by her aunt and established a nuns order in his lifetime itself. By this one act Buddha had opened the gates for the full participation of women in the field of religion by making them eligible for admission to what was known as the Bhikkuni Sangha-the Order of Nuns which truly opened to women new avenues of cultural and social service and ample opportunities for public life. This had brought them recognition of their importance to society and greatly helped in enhancing their status in society. There is not the slightest doubt that Buddha was the first religious teacher who had given women equal and unfettered opportunities in the field of spiritual development. Although he had pointed out on several occasions, the natural tendencies and weakness of women, he had also given due credit to their abilities and capabilities. He had truly paved the way for women to lead a full religious life. They were able to develop and purify their minds and realize the bliss of Nirvana in as much as men could. The testimonies of the Theris (Nuns) in the days of the Buddha speak amply of this fact. Further the study of the role and status of women in Buddhism cannot be complete unless we look the following topics in detail 1. Status of women in Buddhism As it happened in every other religion the founding seer of Buddhism, the Buddha never discriminated against women though he had specific advice for women. But during the later days the influence of the patriarchal society definitely distinguished men and women as separate entities and this had its effect on Buddhism as well. After the death of Buddha, Buddhism got split into two main sects that is the Theravada and Mahayana and they had their own beliefs about the role of women in Buddhism. Article by Sanjay Nair ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Once in a month synopsis of all new page additions: Dear friends,
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