Women in Buddhism

1. Women in Buddhism

2. MahapajapatiGotami Was the Buddha’s aunt and foster mother Was the first to ask for ordination through Siddhartha’s closest disciple Ananda. At first Sidhharthasaid no, but 5 years later ordained her as the first Buddhist nun.

3. Mahapajapati’s story Mahapajapatiwas Siddhartha Gautama’s foster mother as well as his maternal aunt. King Suddodhanamarried two sisters Maya and younger sister Gotami. When queen Maha Maya died on the seventh day of the birth of Prince Siddhartha her younger sister became the queen and foster mother of the prince. She felt miserably and lonely when Prince Siddhartha who had become the Buddha, Rahula his son and her own son Nanda renounced the worldly life for the higher life by entering monkhood. Then her husband King Suddhodana became a monk and soon passed away, leaving her a widow, with only her sister for company. Soon after the death of her sister, MahapajapatiGotami went to the Siddharthaand asked to be ordained into the Sangha, but he refused. She went home, undaunted, cut off her hairand donned yellow robes anyway. Eventuallya large number of women followed her example and they formed a community. From http://www.drukpa-nuns.org/index.php/the-heroines/female-disciples-of-lord-buddha

4. She journeyed back to see Siddhartha to repeat her request to be ordained. Ananda a close disciple and attendant of the Buddha, met her and offered to intercede with the Buddha on her behalf: Respectfully he questioned the Buddha, "Lord, are women capable of realizing the various stages of sainthood as nuns?" "They are, Ananda," said the Buddha. "If that is so, Lord, then it would be good if women could be ordained as nuns," said Ananda, encouraged by the Buddha's reply. "If, Ananda, MahaPajapatiGotami would accept the Eight Conditions it would be regarded that she has been ordained already as a nun." Gotami agreed to accept the Eight Conditions and was deemed a Bhikkhuni. In the thirteenth chapter of the Mahayana Lotus Sutra, Mahaprajapati receives a prediction from the Buddha that she will attain Buddhahood in a future lifetime.

5. Bhikkhunis bhikkhus= monks bhikkhunis = nuns They were ordained by the Buddha and take religious vows. Siddhartha ordained the first bhikkhus 5 years after his enlightenment, and 5 years after that the first bhikkhunis were ordained. His aunt and foster mother MahapajapatiGotami was the first to ask for ordination. At first he said no, but later ordained her as the first Buddhist nun. 8 special rules that bhikkunis had to observe are called the eight garudhammas (the eight weighty restrictions). They involve showing espect and deference to the monks and never residing more than 6 hours away from the monks community.

6. Khema of Great Wisdom Siddhartha named two women as foremost amongst nuns, Uppalavanna and Khema.Thename Khemameans “composed” and is a synonym for Nirvana. The nun Khema belonged to a royal family from the land of Magadha. When she was of marriageable age, she became one of the chief consorts of King Bimbisara. As beautiful as her appearance was, equally beautiful was her life as the wife of an Indian Maharaja. When she heard about the Buddha from her husband, she became interested, but she had a certain reluctance to become involved with his teaching. She felt that the teaching would run counter to her life of sense-pleasures and indulgences. The king, however, knew how he could influence her to listen to the teaching. He described at length the harmony, the peace and beauty of the monastery in the Bamboo Grove, where the Buddha stayed frequently. Because she loved beauty, harmony and peace, she was persuaded to visit there. From http://www.drukpa-nuns.org/index.php/the-heroines/female-disciples-of-lord-buddha

7. Decked out in royal splendor with silk and sandalwood, she went to the monastery. Siddhartha spoke to her and explained the law of impermanence of all conditioned beauty to her. She penetrated this sermon fully and still dressed in royal garments, she attained to enlightenment. Just like the monk, Mahakappina, she likewise became liberated through the power of the Buddha's words while still dressed in the garments of the laity. With her husband's permission she joined the Order of Nuns. Such an attainment, almost like lightning, is only possible however where the seed of wisdom has long been ripening and virtue is fully matured.

8. QueenMallika • After she had become Queen, she went to visit the Enlightened One to ask him something which was puzzling her. Namely, how it came about that one woman could be beautiful, wealthy and of great ability, another be beautiful but poor and not very able, yet another although ugly, be rich and very able, and finally another be ugly, poor and possess no skills at all. • These differences can constantly be observed in daily life. But while the ordinary person is satisfied with such common place terms as fate, heredity, coincidence and so on, Queen Mallika wanted to probe deeper as she was convinced that nothing happens without a cause. • The Buddha explained to her in great detail that all attributes and living conditions of people everywhere were solely dependent on the extent of their moral purity. Beauty was caused by forgiveness and gentleness, prosperity due to generous giving, and skillfulness was caused by never envying others, but rather being joyful and supporting their abilities. • Whichever of these three virtues a person had cultivated, that would show up as their "destiny," usually in some mixture of all of them. The coming together of all three attributes would be a rarity. After Mallika had listened to this discourse of the Buddha, she resolved in her heart to be always gentle towards her subjects and never to scold them, to give alms to all monks, brahmans and the poor, and never to envy anyone who was happy. From http://www.drukpa-nuns.org/index.php/the-heroines/female-disciples-of-lord-buddha

9. At the end of the Enlightened One's discourse she took refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and remained a faithful disciple for the rest of her life. She showed her great generosity not only giving regular alms, but also by building a large, ebony-lined hall for the Sangha, which was used for religious discussions. She exhibited her gentleness by serving her husband with the five qualities of a perfect wife, namely: always rising before him, and going to bed after him, by always obeying his commands, always being polite, and using only kind words. Even the monks praised her gentleness in their discussions about virtue.

10. Mary Pat Fisher, Women in Religion, Ch 5 Theravada: the original orders of nuns died out. Mahayana: more open to the feminine.

12. Kuan-Yin Boddhisattva of Mercy

13. Tibetan Buddhism: Vajrayana Strong family and household orientation, leaving more freedom for an expanded female role

14. Dahkinis: celestial beings (pre-Buddhist gods) , many female, who now, in Buddhist form, help people. Example: White Tara

16. Yoginis: female bodhisattvas (human) who achieved nirvana but chose to stay in touch with mankind after their deaths to help people. YesheTsogyal (757–817 A.D.)