Gender and Peace: The two Phenomena and Their Presence in Buddhism

Author(s): Dr. Namramita Bhuiya

Abstract:

This paper tries to explore a connection between Gender and Peace in Buddhism. Buddhism is especially an ethical path that can be explored by the hand of Gautama Buddha. Gautama Buddha, upon attaining enlightenment, became renowned as the Buddha. The teachings given by the Buddha to both his female and male disciples open the path to the same main aim, which is liberation. Buddha can never create a distinction between a male and a female person. In Buddhism, there are primarily two major groups: the Theravāda and the Mahāyāna. Buddha himself acknowledged that women are quite capable of becoming arhats, that is, persons who have attained nirvāṇa. On the other hand, in Mahāyāna, Bodhisattvas who aspire to become a Buddha are not bound by gender. Therīgāthā, Aṅguttara Nikāya, the two most important texts, also explore the fact that women are capable of attaining nirvāṇa. In Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, the most important Mahāyāna text, it is conveyed that the bodhisattva becomes male and female. Only an unenlightened person can make a distinction between male and female. Gautama Buddha established a bhikunni sanga where the first monastic nun was his aunt and foster mother, Mahapajapati Gotami. She follows the eight rules of respect. Apart from that, there are various bhiksunis samgha established outside India. In China and Japan, various Zen masters, nuns, are women, and they preach to other nuns. In Vajrayāna Buddhism, various famous siddhis are female. In the Vajrayāna tradition, we find the concept of yoginis who are assimilated with ḍākinī. There are two types of ḍākinī: inner ḍākinī and outer ḍākinī. These external ḍākinīs are found in human form as women dedicated to yoga, and they also perform their role as consorts of yoginis with great powers (mahasiddha). The whole Buddhist tradition conveys the truth that Buddhism is above sex, caste, creed, and gender, through which they can propagate the message of peace, where all are equal, all are the same.

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