Buddhism and the “Emptiness” (sunnata 空) of Gender

May 20

Patriarchy and the Role of Women in Buddhism

• Issue: We will look at the Buddha’s second radical moment from the ordination of untouchables (previous class) to the ordination of women as well as the eventual institutionalization of patriarchy in Buddhism over the past two millennia. We will then look at a number of examples in the modern world of female Buddhists asserting their agency and creating important new styles of Buddhist practice.
• Presentation: Conflicting Streams Towards Gender in the Development of Buddhism  Part I: Early Buddhism & Its Basis for the Theravada (PDF) Click here for the  audio lecture that goes with the PDF
• Video: What Harm Is It to be a Woman: Exploitation of Women and Buddhism in Thailand (33 mins from beginning to 33:00)

LGBTQ and Gender De-construction/Re-construction in Buddhism

• Issue: Buddhism has no categorical prohibitions on homosexuality with the 3rd precept guiding us about how to engage in sexuality and sensuality (i.e. without harm or violence) rather than in what type of sexuality. Still, as with its issues with patriarchy, Buddhism has taken on mainstream hetero-normative attitudes in most traditional Asian countries. In this class, we will examine the doctrinal basis in Buddhism towards a fluid view of gender and a potentially supportive stance on LQBTQ issues. We will also investigate some pioneering Buddhists today promoting this view.
• Presentation: Conflicting Streams Towards Gender in the Development of Buddhism Part II: The Development of Conflicting Streams in Mahayana Buddhism (PDF) Click here for the  audio lecture that goes with the PDF (see links above in Part I).
• Presentation: Conflicting Streams Towards Gender in the Development of Buddhism Part III: Gender Play at its Extreme in Vajrayana Buddhism (PDF) Click here for the  audio lecture that goes with the PDF (see links above in Part I)
• Video: A Monk Who Wears Heels about Rev. Kodo Nishimura a Buddhist priest from the Japanese Jodo Pure Land denomination, makeup artist, LGBTQ activist, and model. NHK World Documentary. March 5, 2022

Homework (due May 27 @ 12:00 noon JST): Find a partner (groups of 2 not 3) & Craft a 2 page Buddhist Human Rights Declaration to Respond to the ONE OF THE THREE issues of this unit: 1) caste discrimination in India, 2) ethnic & religious discrimination in Myanmar and/or Sri Lanka, or 3) gender in Thailand and/or LGBTQ discrimination in Japan.

1. Create your own made-up Buddhist organization (i.e. regional Buddhist association, national inter-faith council, etc. for example, Kamakura Association of Buddhists – KAB)
2. Organize your declaration around the 4 Noble Truths:

• outline the suffering (is it only the victim’s?) 1/2 page
• indicate the deeper causes (structural and cultural) 1/2 page
• describe Holding Actions to stem the violence 1/2 page
• outline a vision for the region & recommended policy initiatives 1/2 page

Here are two examples:

• Statement on Nuclear Energy by the International Network of Engaged Buddhists: Affirming the Value of Life and Working towards Interdependent Lifestyles (November 10, 2012)
• A Call For Peace From Buddhist and Muslim Leaders in Yogyakarta Statement (with quotes from the Koran and Buddhist texts) March 3-4, 2015