[Buddha-l] Re: Gender on Buddha-l

[curt]

An aspect of the Buddha's traditional life story/hagiography that is 
often overlooked, is that it was necessary for Yashodhara to bear a son 
in order for her to be guaranteed a secure position in the family she 
had married into (after her husband split, that is). Also, this was no 
modern nuclear family in which Yashodhara was left to fend for herself - 
her husband's departure may have had little practical impact on her - 
and it may have actually improved her standing in the family (now that 
it was obvious that Siddhartha was unlikely to take over the family 
business her son would become next in line). As far as little Rahula 
goes - he was probably better off without his old man around - after 
all, the guy named him "Fetter". With doting grandparents, a loving 
mother, and a big extended family (not to mention servants - I have no 
idea how it worked back then, but its likely they did most of the 
child-rearing) - the kid probably missed his Daddy, but I don't think we 
should consider him to have been greatly harmed by the fact that his old 
man turned out to be some kind of religious nut.

I think that in the traditional retellings of this story, Siddhartha 
usually leaves the palace very soon after Rahula's birth. I don't think 
its ever spelled out, but I do think its not too big of a stretch to 
read into that the implication that he was waiting for just that event 
before taking off. And his motivation might very well have been (yeah 
yeah yeah, I know) to ensure that everything would be cool for 
Yashodhara in his absence.

- Curt

StormyTet at aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 10/9/2005 11:39:30 A.M. Central Daylight Time, 
> rhayes at unm.edu writes:
>
>     Joanna: > Sorry but that's wrong----if you hold to that view, then
>     you have no concept
>     > of culture whatsoever, thanks to an apparent decision to
>     disregard some very
>     > huge social realities.
>
>     RH: Sorry, but that's not an argument. If you'd like to convince
>     me, you'll
>     have to provide some evidence. Or is evidence a guy thing?
>
> Hi Richard, Joanna, and Dylan,
>  
> Richard Hayes seemed to suggest that there was no male point of view 
> vs. female.  Well, my early comments about mothering/academics and 
> detachment are a good example. The Buddha left his child. It hurt him, 
> but he left. The stigma associated with this was minimal and even 
> today when a man is across the country  and sees his children 
> periodically he does not face the same stigmatization as a mother who 
> has pursued her career.
>  
>