[Buddha-l] women & , er, religion

[Piya Tan]

I do not mind using the term hinayana, esp to myself and my practice. To me
it is just a useful sound, that friends understand and distractors make fun
of. It's one way of knowing who they more sane people are.

Of course, like the word jesuit, hinayana goes both ways. A Jesuit is a
jesuit by any other name. But I like remember well a jesuit friend of mine,
Bro Joseph, who invited me to have a great lunch in the Jesuit Seminary in
Berkeley. The Dominican monk was not so friendly: I think he knew I knew the
jesuit.

I often meet the princes of the Mahayana church today who are very
apologetic about the term hinayana, and suggest that we stop using it.

Unlike the concerned Burmese to Bielefieldt, I would answer: Too late!

Oh yes, the Lotus of the Sad Dharma, I like that!

Honi soit mal y pense.

Piya Tan

On Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 11:18 PM, Richard Hayes <rhayes at unm.edu> wrote:

> On Jul 25, 2009, at 2:07 AM, Jayarava wrote:
>
> > Hīnayāna being most likely a caste-ist term IMHO - hīna being used
> > in a number of other compounds for describing out-castes and
> > untouchables. Dayamati has translated it as Garbage Vehicle, but I
> > tend to suggest Nigger Vehicle for a modern equivalent with a
> > similar emotional sting.
>
> About fifteen years ago I related a story on buddha-l which might be
> worth repeating. In 1986 there was a conference on Buddhism in America
> to which monks and dharma teachers of many traditions were invited,
> along with academics who also practice Buddhism. Carl Bielefeldt gave
> a paper on the use of the term "hīnayāna" as used in the
> Saddharmapuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra (the sutra of the
> grandiose vehicle called White Lotus of the Sad Dharma). His point, of
> course, was that the term was intended as a term of abuse and
> contempt, and he pointed out that in Buddhism the use of such terms as
> hīnakarma (substandard behavior), hīnavarṇa (inferior caste),
> hīnā saṃjñā (substandard understanding) are always use to warn
> people off things that are to be avoided.
>
> No sooner had Bielefeldt finished than a Burmese layman was up on his
> feet expressing shock and outrage that a scholar would use the deeply
> offensive and provocative word "hīna". Bielefeldt explained that it is
> impossible to talk about the Lotus Sutra without using such language,
> since one of the principal messages of the Lotus Sutra is that forms
> of Buddhism not based on the Lotus Sutra should be avoided by those
> who seek the True Dharma. It is, he said, a sutra designed to offend
> and condemn and provoke, and one would miss that purpose entirely if
> one avoided offensive and provocative language.
>
> Bielefeldt's answer delighted the Buddhist academics, but it managed
> to start a firestorm among the other Buddhists. Theravādins expressed
> outrage that the ugly word "hīna" had been spoken in a public forum
> with ladies present, and the Mahāyāna folk were outraged that anyone
> would suggest that Mahāyāna sutras might be polemical and aimed at
> denigrating other Buddhists. (Imagine endless references to
> bodhisattva vows saying that it is a grave offense to denigrate any
> Buddhist teaching. Moi? Denigrating?)
>
> In the midst of all the ensuing proliferation of tranquil, benevolent,
> wise and compassionate discourse of the sort that one takes for
> granted among Buddhist practitioners, a Theravādin monk originally
> from Sri Lanka but then based in Chicago told a personal anecdote
> about an encounter he had had with an African-American man. Someone
> called the African-American a nigger, and the man so designated (dare
> I say denigrated?) became angry. The Theravādin monk tried to calm him
> down by pointing out that words are mere sounds and sounds can hurt no
> one, and there is nothing good to be gained by causing oneself mental
> hurt by becoming offended at mere sound waves in the air. (Right out
> of the textbook, eh?) A few months later, the bhikkhu and his African-
> American friend were attending a lecture at which someone referred to
> the Theravāda as a school with origins in the Hīnayāna. The bhikkhu
> admitted to feeling a swell of anger and jumping to his feet to
> protest. Before he could speak more than a few words, he felt a gentle
> tugging at the edge of his robe. His African-American friend quietly
> said "I think you now know how I feel when someone calls me a nigger."
>
> --
> Richard Hayes
> Department of Philosophy
> University of New Mexico
> http://www.unm.edu/~rhayes
> rhayes at unm.edu
>
>
>
>
>
>
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