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Why
cannot women become buddhas?
Buddhist academics explain that in the formation of the Tripitaka
some parts are older than the others. The oldest is the Patimokkha,
which is the monastic code for both monks and nuns. In Theravada
there are 227 rules for monks and 311 for bhikkhunis.
We found
that the part of the Tripitaka where were the passage referring
to women's inability to become buddhas happened at least 500
years after the Buddha's passing away when Mahayana already
had come into existence. At that time there already developed
the ideal that the Buddha was not ordinary being but had a supernatural
existence. Buddhists began to prescribe to the Buddha the 32
Mahapurisa characteristics as believed to be the qualities of
great monarch. One of these characteristics prescribed that
the Buddha must have his penis in a sheath that is covered,
meaning that the Buddha has transcended sexual desire. Later
on this requirement is emphasised only 'having the penis,' hence
ending up with the understanding that women cannot become buddhas.
This belief continued on for a thousand years. Teachers in the
later time had difficulty explaining this limitation on gender
and developed the teachings to accommodate women by saying that
if a woman achieved a higher standard of spiritual development
she may be transformed into a male.
Some of
the Mahayana Sutras e.g. Sukhavati Vyuha Sutra mentions Amitabha
Buddha who presides over the Western Paradise. Within this realm
(Buddhaksetra), women who have strong faith in him will be born
as men. Such belief is based, not on the dislike of women, or
that women cannot practise dharma, but out of compassion that
women have to go through the physical suffering of child birth,
etc. This is true as in the olden days medical care was far
behind. Hence sometimes we hear a comparison between a woman
having to go through child birth to a man going to war. With
this understanding and out of compassion, Amitabha Buddha allows
women with faith in him to be born in his realm as men.
Another
sutra not much known among the Thais is that of Aksobhaya Buddha
who presides over in the Eastern Paradise. This realm is different
from that of Amitabha Buddha, a woman born in this realm retains
her womanhood, and should she desire to have a child, a child
is born without conception, without having to go through the
suffering of child birth, etc, and eliminates completely the
involvement of the male counterpart. This may be seen as compassion
expressed by Aksobtaya Buddha, one step more advanced than Sukhavati
in the sense that it recognises womanhood and motherhood.
Again the
Saddharmapundarika Sutra, a major text for Mahayana of all schools,
mentions in one of its chapters, a daughter of a naga (divine
serpent) who was as young as 8 years old but well versed in
dharma. She offered a jewel to Sariputra. As Sariputra received
the offering she stated that she can change into male form faster
than the time Sariputra received the offering from her. In this
context, this particular message means that one becomes enlightened,
then transforms the gender. In other words one has to transcend
gender in order to be enlightened. To be enlightened is to be
free from all bindings and limitations including gender. Once
enlightened, male or female retains no difference.
Another
important Mahayana Sutra, the Vimalakirti Nidesa Sutra, mentions
an encounter between Sariputra and a goddess who resides in
Vimalakirti's residence. After having a long dharma talk with
her, he was impressed at her knowledge of dharma in spite of
the fact that she was only a female. As if realizing higher
level of dharma belongs only to male, he asked her why she still
retains female gender. The goddess replied that since she had
been there for 12 years, she had examined her mind and was not
able to hold on to anything female. As this was the case, she
was not able to change her gender. While discussing, with her
miraculous power, she transformed herself into Sariputra and
vice versa. The goddess who was now in Sariputra's form asked
Sariputra who was now in the goddess' form if he could change
back to his own form. Sariputra said that having examined himself
(which was then herself) he could not find the essence of being
female. The goddess again reversed her miraculous power and
returned Sariputra to his former self, and she to her former
self. Then she explained that in the practice of highest dharma
there is no essence of being male or female. Thus how can one
hold on to being male or female? In the practice of dharma one
should not hold on to any particular form, neither male nor
female. An enlightened mind is beyond clinging e.g. clinging
to male or female, good or bad. Lokuttara dharma is non-duality;
enlightenment is a state of mind which is free from the realm
of the conventional.
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