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Feminism and religion part 3: Buddhism and Hinduism
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The Buddha preached equality for all, even women.
This is part three in a series of posts about religion and feminism. Today's topic is Buddhism, which, as many of you know, is impossible to discuss without first going into Hinduism. I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and discuss both religions with regards to feminism.
I'm going to set up a little SAT-style analogy for you here:
Hinduism:Buddhism::Judaism:Christianity
That is to say, Hinduism and Judaism are the religions out of which Buddhism and Christianity came, respectively. And just as Jesus was a Jew, the Buddha was a Hindu.
A general overview of Hinduism will teach you that the religion centers around being born into a position which you earned in your past life or lives. These life positions are called castes, and much of present-day India's political system still revolves around the caste system. The highest caste in Hindu society is Brahma, the priests and teachers. The Buddha himself was a member of a high caste, although he was not a Brahma, who eventually gave up his lifestyle, living as an ascetic before attaining enlightment.
According to a research article by Dr. (Mrs.) L.S. Dewaraja, women in ancient Indian Hindu society were granted high places of honor. She argues that it was the Brahmans and their stringent spiritual laws that eventually ousted women from these high-ranking positions:
"At the outset Manu [a Brahman leader] deprived woman of her religious rights and spiritual life. 'Sudras, slaves and women' were prohibited from reading the Vedas [highest religious texts]. A woman could not attain heaven through any merit of her own. She could not worship or perform a sacrifice by herself. She could reach heaven only through implicit obedience to her husband, be he debauched or devoid of all virtues." (The Position of Women in Buddhism, by Dr. (Mrs.) L.S. Dewaraja, August 1979, from Buddhapia.com)
She argues further that when Buddhism came into existence in the 5th century BCE, the Buddha did not preach equality for women specifically, but rather equality for all people. The Buddha's teachings, says Dewaraja, were that salvation was up to the individual, whether that individual be male, female, Brahman, or otherwise. The Buddhist Sasana, which is like a church, includes both male and female participants, including monks and nuns, and was one of the first places where women had an established role in a church setting.
It would seem that Buddhism is a very excellent place for feminism to exist. Buddhism, unlike most other religions, can be seen as more of a philosophy than a religion, and does not include the worship of any Godhead or gods. All people are capable of karmic balance, no matter their background, sex, or place in society.
Nevertheless, many Buddhist societies argue that the demands of feminism are too one-sided or extreme to be truly Buddhist. "Man-hating" and other "extreme" feminism are called out as very anti-Buddhist. According to The Friends of the Western Buddhist Order:
"Feminism is concerned with a limited reform of society and consciousness, aiming to achieve equal opportunities for men and women. Buddhism takes a broader view and occupies itself with the human and spiritual development of all. Feminism looks at human beings primarily in terms of their sexual differences; Buddhism looks at them in terms of their highest potential, which is Buddhahood. Buddhism addresses itself to individuals, not to men or women." (from the article Feminism and Buddhism)
Again it appears it is the rare and dark underbelly of feminism (i.e. those pesky man-haters) that raises the hackles of traditional religions, and not the more mainstream feminism that asks for equality. Still, Buddhism is a religion that is far more accepting of feminism than other religions, perhaps because of its proven track record of pro-equality, anti-establishment teachings.
Take a look at my other articles on feminism and religion:
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