|
The role of women in Buddhism is one of forced submission , since a woman can never attain enlightenment. A woman can aim through spiritual practice to achieve in her next life a male body, through which the soul will then finally be able to interrupt the life circles and enter the Nirvana.
At Buddha's time, the Indian society was strongly patriarchal. Buddha did not want to have any women in Sangha, as he feared disharmony. It was Buddha's Aunt and Stepmother, Pajapati, who induced him to allow women to take the holy orders. Initially Buddha shook his head three times at her request. That is when Pajapati did something very radical. She and many other women shaved their heads, put robes on and followed Buddha to Sangha. It was only when Ananda (Buddha's assistant) insisted, that women were admitted to Sangha. Once they had taken the holy orders, they underwent strict vows. One of these vows implied that the nuns were rankly and personally submitted to the monks, even if these were younger and more inexperienced.
It requires 11 fully ordained monks or nuns (Bhikkhu/bhikkuni) to impart the complete holy orders to one monk or nun.This has lead to the dissolution of the Bhikkunis lineage. Since the roads to the Ibduab subcontinent from the Himalayan planes were and are still arduous, only very few women reached these valleys. Hence, there are no officially full ordained nuns in the Tibetan-Buddhist tradition. Should a woman wish to enter the Shangha, then only as a Sramanerika, a subordinated rank of a novice. Many possibilities that lie open to a monk, are left unveiled to a nun.
|
 |
At the beginning of the 80's a group of traditional Tibetan nuns had the firm intent to take the full holy orders. Amongst them was the Hawaiian Karma Lekshe Tsomo (home.sandiego.edu/...). She had previously taken the holy orders following the Buddhist tradition in Corea together with many other women from all over the world. Since then, she has been fighting for equality for the Tibetan nuns and Buddhist women. In 1987 she founded "Shakyadhita", the International Association of Buddhist Women, (www.sakyadhita.org) and supports 8 convents in the Himalayan regions of Lahoul/Spiti, Ladakh, Zanskar and Kinnor. These convents are often the only chance for women, to receive an education and lead a spiritual life.
|