[Buddha-l] women & , er, religion

[Michael Paris]

I'm not aware that there are fully ordained Tibetan nuns, at least 
outside the West, but I only know what I read in the Buddhist rags, for 
whatever that's worth. In fact, I believe there was something about just 
this by Rita Gross in one of their recent issues.

I'm also not aware of female Zen temple heads in Japan, nor female Shin 
ministers. There may be, but I've never know of any. Does anyone? In 
fact, other than the independent Shin temple in Chicago, I don't know of 
any female Shin ministers in the USA. None in the BCA, anyway.

These bizarre prejudices against women go back to ancient tribal taboos, 
blood not the least (IMHO, of course) and have acquired the status of 
commandments written in stone. Absurd, certainly, but such irrational 
behavior shows how little humankind has in reality advanced over the 
millennia. We are thinly-disguised barbarians.


Michael Paris




jkirk wrote:
> Jimmy Carter has finally left the Southern Baptist church.
> Article is here:  http://tinyurl.com/nwxf8r 
>
> Things not much better in Buddhism around the world. Only in
> China or Taiwan and in some Tibetan lineages, can women be fully
> ordained nuns, (is that right about Tibetans? I'm thinking of
> Pema Choedron, for ex.). The Thai sangha and Sri Lankans claim
> the bhikkhuni ordination was lost, so that is that. Dr. Chatsuman
> Kabilsingh in Thailand, in 2003, was finally ordained a full
> bhikkhuni in Sri Lanka, the first Thai woman to be ordained in a
> Theravada monastic lineage (wikipedia).  Today she runs a
> monastery for women and has ordained several, but the official
> Thai sangha continues to discredit her.
> Meanwhile, in Buddhist majority countries, Buddhist women still
> get the hind tit in many other ways besides being refused
> ordination.  
> That someone as pious as Carter finally has made this move says a
> lot for how his consciousness has purified over the years.
> Joanna
(quotation snipped)