On Buddhism and discrimination against women

“Why did Buddha include such content?”
[To those who should take advantage of the body of the elder, resident, chieftain, or woman of Brahmin, that is, to those who preach the law in order to show themselves as a woman, that is, preach the law for showing the body of a child boy or girl, that is, preach the law for showing the body of a child boy or girl, and preach the law for the purpose of showing the body of heaven, dragon, asura, karura, kinnarah, ma, raga, human inhuman, etc. Preach and preach the law to those who should take advantage of the body of Shikongojin, that is, to show Shikongojin.]
“Myōhō Renge Sutra” “Kanzeon Bosatsu Fumonpin”

I usually take off my costume and work with junior high school students, but neither the title of chief priest Sama nor the specialized logic or technical terms of Buddhism apply at all to junior high school students. Therefore, we have to break it up and talk to middle school students so that middle school students can understand it. Buddha never recommended discrimination, nor did he conform, but after all, he had to talk about Gedo so that he understood Gedo. There are differences in individual roots, let alone culture and common sense between Reiwa Japan and India 2,500 years ago, so measuring the values of a foreign country a long time ago from common sense in modern Japan where awareness of human rights has increased may be a bit nonsense.

hasunoha.tenrakuin@gmail.com

The Indian society of Buddha's time and the Buddhists after Buddha were not like that either.
First, the Five Impediments theory appears in Mahayana Buddhism, which began to appear around 500 years after Buddha, but it does not appear in Pali Buddhist scriptures, which are said to have been spoken by Buddha Shakyamuni. The Pali language uses the Theravada, and it has now spread to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. The Mahayana Buddhist scriptures were later created by people other than Buddhism, and since the circumstances of India are unknown in China, this was also accepted as a Buddhist theory, and it was also accepted in Japan through Korea. People other than Buddha and enlightened people tend to discriminate no matter what.
Even in the Pali Buddhist scriptures, there are parts that appear to discriminate against women as a culture due to Indian society at the same time.
When it was decided to make a priest, there were no female monks other than simple beggars in India at the same time. Of course, monks have relinquished their worldly rights and duties, so no matter what ordinary people do to them, they won't be punished. If you're a man, you'll be respected a little bit depending on the atmosphere and sermon due to the results of your training, but if you're a woman, you'll end up being the target of sexual exploitation before that. Problems that are well known in modern Japan were also on the side of men in ancient India.
Therefore, since it is bad for the pichus to be misunderstood again by individuals, the precepts were added to protect the Pikyu-ni as a sanga, and also the Piku-ni Sanga rather than the individual Pichu-nun. Picnic nuns are not homeless like Hikyu; they should sleep in the Hikyu nunnery inside the castle, or even when they parade, when Hikyu is nearby. So that in the event of an emergency, we can help them right away.
Instead, Buddhism recognized rare female monks, so that they would never be misunderstood by Indians at the time, so that even the elder of the Pichu-ni had the highest salute to a monk, etc., so that Hikuni was overwhelmingly inferior between Pikhu-ni and Bichu-ni. May Pikyu and Hikyu-ni never get along with each other. This is often misunderstood as discriminating against women even in Buddhism during the Buddha's time. Being a monk, I had no choice but to make the distinction between eldest and younger.
Among lay believers, men and women were equal, only in Buddhism. There is no end to the list in Pali Buddhist scriptures, such as stories where the couple's property was evenly divided in India at the time when women were men's possessions and slaves. The Chinese translation of the “Rikata Reikyo” explains equality between all human beings, including married couples. This is a translation of the Pali sutras, not Mahayana.
Later generations of Buddhists discriminated against them.

Thank you for your question.

I'm a nun, so I'm just that kind of sexist woman.

It certainly is in the sutras.

But have any problems related to your current life happened to you due to those sutras?

Buddhism, and in particular, I am studying Shingon Esoteric Buddhism, and I feel that if I learn, I am amazed at its depth and learn more and more, but what I feel in it is really small in the world view of Esoteric Buddhism, such as gender differences. No, rather, I think that gender individuality is important.

Without women, neither Christ nor Buddha would have been born into this world.

Rather than worrying about small things, I think there are things you can do to make yourself even happier, so I think it's okay to look at that.

Buddhism is sexist, so don't worry! Even if you say that, what has been cultivated through a long history and culture is not easy to change.

In my personal opinion, the sutras were compiled after time passed since Shakyamuni died, so I also think that the historical background and culture of that time are also included...

Gassho

Hello, Mr. Sasai.

I looked at the website of the “Japanese History of Gender Differences” exhibition, and it was an interesting exhibition. This is an exhibition I'd like to go see if it's close.

Now, what was asked was why did Buddha adopt content that discriminates against women, such as the Buddhist theory of five disabilities and the view of sin, and why did they show gender differences in beliefs? That's the question.

First, there are answers from other people, but this does not mean that there was a theory of women with five disabilities in Buddhism when the Buddha was alive. It is said that these are ideas that appeared in Buddhism after the fall of the Buddha. I haven't learned anything consciously either, and shamefully, I don't really understand.

However, as a matter of fact, there is a history where the theory of women with five disabilities has been explained in Japanese Buddhism. Also, I think I need to pay attention to the fact that those days were different from my current values. Among the values at the time, statements such as the death of women have been preached as salvation for women.

On the other hand, when we think about it from the perspective of those of us living in the present, it has been pointed out that there are elements that discriminate against women in Buddhism we learn.

It's quite difficult for an active monk to accept. I myself would like to listen carefully and interpret it conveniently, but on the other hand, what do Buddhist religious groups think in society? There are also people who harshly point it out.

I'll show you one book. It is a book called “Shinran and Gender Thinking about Discrimination against Women in Buddhism” by Junko Minamoto.

I think this is truly a book that answers questions like those raised by Mr. Sasai.

If you like it, be sure to pick it up and read it.