Heaton 1

Sierra Heaton

Professor Bandara

Intro to Buddhism

25 November 2017

Females in Buddhism

Females in Buddhism has been a subject that I have been curious about since the

beginning of the semester. When we first learned about the start of women acceptance into this

religion, I was curious if females could be enlightened and achieve nirvana. The majority of

ancient religions (as well as present day) refuse to give men the same rights as women, so I

wondered if Buddhism was a rare exception. Since Buddha emphasized peace, love, and

compassion, it would make sense that anybody, regardless of gender could practice his teachings.

However, finding information on this appeared to be more difficult than I thought. As I started

my research, everything appeared to have mixed answers.

Depending on the source and intellect I used, a woman’s place in Buddhism was either

equivalent to a man’s or completely inferior. For my final project, I wanted to find my own

research, and develop my own educated analysis on the role of females in Buddhism.

Before Buddha’s birth, women were completely dependent on men not only in this life,

but their reincarnated lives as well. Women were inferior to men in every manner of their daily

lives, so much that they were unable to survive without their husbands. For example, in the

Hindu ritual of Sati “women would actually commit suicide by throwing herself on her

husband’s funeral pyre.” (Gender Equality, 6) When I first heard this, it sounded insane and

ignorant. However this was the only way for a female to be reincarnated to a better life.
 Heaton 2

In contrast, when Buddhism came along it gave women an outlet. Unlike Hinduism,

Buddha preached that anybody could achieve Nirvana, which suddenly gave women religious

indepence and the ability to live a happy life, without a man in the picture. For the first time in

history, women could feel empowered, which is incredible. I find this amazing because

Buddhism kindled the start of gender equality through his simple teachings. He was centuries

ahead of his time.

However, according to Kajiyama Yuichi, author of “Women in Buddhism” Buddha did

not ordain nuns into his religion until five years after men. He was afraid men would be tempted

from the females:

Women have been a major part in Buddhism since it began and there has been a

significant number of Buddhist nuns throughout history, who have become famous for

their incredible work and dedication to their religions. They have become role models to

women around the world, and have been empowering females since Buddhism begun. I

wanted to learn about these incredible women and their effects on the equality of women.

(Yuichi 55)

This quote above prompted my exploration into finding some of these incredible women and

what they have done, not only for the Buddhist community, but for women all around the world.

I found stories on these incredible women and it was honestly life changing.

In the article written by Michaela Haas, she profiles ten Tibetan Buddhist women. I found

these stories completely awe-inspiring and wanted to share a few of the messages I was

impressed by throughout this article. Characteristics many of them instilled were dedication,
 Heaton 3

passion, persistence, leadership, spirituality, and a desire to leave the world more hopeful than

when they found it.

One inspirational woman is Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche. She was uniquely one of the only

women fully trained as a Rinpoche. She grew up in her father’s monastery in India among 400

monk men and her mother and sister. In her lineage however, they do not distinguish between

male and female heirs. This may have propelled her passion and success. Today she travels

between the same monastery she grew up at and her two nunneries also in India. She contributes

to other Buddhist communities in America is well educated. Haas states in her article that,

“educating and empowering women is at the core of her work. “Maybe I can be a medium

through which more women become confident, dynamic leaders”” (Haas). Another quote that

completely sums up her amazing mission is wisely stated, “If being a woman is an inspiration,

use it. If it is an obstacle, try not to be bothered by it” (Haas).

Dagmola Kusho Sakya also had an inspiring story as she too defied the odds to create a

better world. Today she lives in America with her husband teaching around the world and at her

monastery in Seattle. To get to that point however, was not as easy as it seems. Growing up in a

village in East Tibet, she was the only girl allowed to attend school. She fought against

traditional arranged marriages and barely escaped the Communist persecution, making it to

America to start a new life. But things didn’t get easier. As a mother of five sons, she worked a

9-5 job to provide for them. Because of her hardships, she is able to connect to many women

who have been in stressful circumstances and are still seeking for spirituality (Haas).

In contrast, a woman named Thubten Chödron, also known as Cherry Green, takes a

different approach to her teachings. She is known for her incredible ways of weaving Buddhist

teachings and practical advice for both women and men. By incorporating Buddha’s teachings
 Heaton 4

with her contemporary style, she can successfully teach about emotion and spirituality in a new

way.

Similarly to the women above, Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel questioned how she could be a

difference in her world and community. Her family life at home created much opposition against

her views as her father was a communist record manager. The open-ended question that

propelled her purpose was, “what should I do with my life?” The answer to that question came in

a dream, leader her to Nepal, her teacher there, and eventually her husband. As his first Western

student, she studied Buddhism for over 25 years. She raiser her son in solitary retreat in the

Rocky Mountains. She also balances many other responsibilities as a mother, master, student,

and teacher of implementing Buddhist practices in the modern world. As quoted in the article,

she states that, “it is like an unspoken rule that we don’t talk about our doubts or unresolved

questions,” she says, “and I question that” (Haas). Her stance on asking powerful open-ended

questions is a powerful tool she uses to teach her students.

Like Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel above, I too have asked myself many times, “what should

I do with my life?” Although I may not become a large figure like the inspiring women I have

learned about through my research, this topic has given me far greater insight than I could have

ever imagined. It has helped me reflect on answering these deep open-ended questions and

answering them with something I am passionate about.

Many of these women’s stories express hardships that they had to overcome, being seen

as inferior in Buddhism or simply their communities. I can see that it takes great strength,

passion, commitment, and perseverance to push past those barriers to eventually become

successful. This is a hopeful realization for my life. Things will not come easy. My dream to

become a physician assistant will be a tough journey. Although I may not experience quite the
 Heaton 5

persecution some of these women went through, I suspect that I may encounter some feelings of

inferiority as a woman throughout medical school. It will be empowering to look back on these

women to be reminded that although things are hard in the moment, the reward is far greater

ahead.

To answer the question above about what I want to do with my life goes beyond simply

education. I want to impact the lives of others whether that be medically or not. I want to provide

hope through my story. I did not grow up in a monastery with only my mother and sister among

400 men. I was not the only girl allowed to go to school in my village. I did not suffer

communist persecution. I have not had to move five sons to an entirely new country and provide

for them as a single mom. However, I have my own story and hardships to find inspiration in.

I hope one day I can look back on my life and see that I did something meaningful. As

Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche found, her purpose is to empower women, I want to do the same for

people of all circumstance. In conclusion, I hope that my being a woman is an inspiration. But if

not, like Rinpoche said, I will try not to be bothered by it and move forward one step at a time.

Works Cited Page

Haas, Michaela. “10 Tibetan Buddhist Women You Need to Know.” The Huffington

Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 20 Mar. 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/michaela-

haas/10-tibetan-buddhist-women-you-need-to-know_b_2863427.html.

Whittemore, Jessica. “Gender Equality in Buddhism.” Study.com, Study.com, 4 Mar. 2013,

study.com/academy/lesson/gender-roles-in-buddhism.html.
 Heaton 6

Yuichi, Kajiyama. “Women in Buddhism.” The Eastern Buddhist, vol. 15, no. 2, 1982, pp. 53–

70. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44361658.