[Buddha-l] New pagoda with relics being built in Mumbai

[jkirk]

Yes, classically in Han Chinese civilisation, at least,women were intrinsically impure because they both shed blood at menstruation and also at childbirth. Their destiny because of these impurities, according to common folk beliefs, was hell until they eventually got reborn as men. No matter that their fertility function was crucial to produce male progeny for the family and clan lines. 
This is just one of many possible illustrations of my personal anthropological tenet that all culture, except for whatever of it is based on reason and rational observation--useful technology, etc-- is delusion.  And even the latter gets surrounded by delusional thinking as well. See, Richard's post on Bush and torture.
Joanna  
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Stuart Lachs 
  To: Buddhist discussion forum 
  Sent: Monday, November 06, 2006 2:00 PM
  Subject: Re: [Buddha-l] New pagoda with relics being built in Mumbai


  Bankei wrote:

  "When I questioned a Burmese about this, he said it related to menstration."

  It seems menstruation played a significant part in Chinese Buddhism too,  with the Story of Mu Lian and the apocryphal Blood Bowl Sutra. Alan Cole's "Mothers and Sons in Chinese Buddhism" is a fascinating take on Chinese Buddhism's "mining" gender relations. 

  Stuart

   

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Bankei 
    To: Buddhist discussion forum 
    Sent: Friday, November 03, 2006 6:47 PM
    Subject: Re: [Buddha-l] New pagoda with relics being built in Mumbai


    Hello Joanna

    Thank you for the article. This both interesting and strange that women are prohibited. On a trip to Burma I noticed a few pagoda also prohibitted women in certain areas. When I questioned a Burmese about this, he said it related to menstration. 
     
    Also interesting is that this structure cost $22,000,000 to complete!

    Regards

    Bankei
     
    On 03/11/06, jkirk <jkirk at spro.net> wrote: 

      Excerpts:
      "The site where the relics are kept is out of bounds for women."






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