Women and Buddhism

Blog Post 1: Women and Buddhism

When thinking about what I was going to do for this blog post the role of women in Buddhism kept coming to my mind. I am really curious about the role of women in Buddhism and how the Buddha responded to women being involved in this religion. In the two movies that we have watched so far we have seen women as temptresses that indulge good men in evil acts (sex) which ultimately turns them away from Buddhism. My question, with the ones listed above is, is that how women are thought of? Only temptresses?  So far we have read three books and women have not been addressed much, if at all, in these texts. As a woman, this was frustrating to watch because these movies made it seem as if women, and what they can offer, are the problem. So I thought I would research what role women have played in Buddhism since the beginning of the religion. 

            There are many debates what women’s roles are in Buddhism, if they have any at all. Some sources say that Buddhism is a very sexist religion that excludes women, which is what we have mainly seen in the movies and texts that we have encountered in class. On the other hand, many sources say that women are and have always been an integral part of the Buddhist religion. A story to back this argument up is the story of Tara. Tara is believed to be the mother of all deities and her name literally means protectoress. Tara is also believed to be the giver of salvation (Regmi 6). This led me to believe that a woman would not have this power if they were only good for derailing men. In the article “Buddhism and Women” the author talks about how Buddha first rejected the idea of women being involved in the religion but after a women found Enlightenment he changed his mind. The author writes, “The Buddha gave women full freedom to participate in a religious life. The Buddha was the first religious Teacher who gave this religious freedom to women. Before the Buddha, women's duties had been restricted to the kitchen; women were not even allowed to enter any temple or to recite any religious scripture” (“Buddhism and Women”). With this statement in mind one could argue that women were liberated when the Buddha allowed them to participate in Buddhism. They had the choice and the freedom to do what they believed. While some believe that Buddhism is a sexist religion, I believe after this research that they see women not as temptresses but capable of great things.

http://www.budsas.org/ebud/whatbudbeliev/227.htm
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma/womenbuddhist.html
http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/ancientnepal/pdf/ancient_nepal_100_02.pdf

Samsara - movie response

This movie was pretty interesting. I loved the inside it look it gave through a monk desiring a woman. Living in the western world, we are not exposed to monks or buddhist very often. This movie showed even with extreme determination of meditation for three years, they still have their inner struggles with desires. The young monk left his monastery to fulfill his life with a women. After doing so, he was married and had a kid with a woman named Pema. Pema was raised in a farming family which had the young monk to work on the field. He changed their life by speaking up about selling to the town inside of their traveling seller. However, his desire for women grew even more when he had an affair with one of his 19 year old workers. Right after that incident, he knew his desires were getting worse. So, he decided to leave his wife, kid, and land to join the monks again. 

The parallels from this movie were very similar to Buddha himself. Buddha decided to leave his normal life to practice becoming enlightened. It made me wonder if this movie shows that this is what every man can face, but at the end of the day they should choose what is best for them by fulfilling the enlightenment through Buddha's teaching.      

Buddha's Image

I was thinking about the previous things I had known about Buddhism and Buddha and I was thinking about how in “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring” the boy took the statue out of the temple when he left. This led me to start thinking about Buddha and why his statues looked the way they did. What I think of as the most traditional Buddha statues look like this (fat and happy):

I did some research and it said that he was portrayed as fat because it was a symbol of happiness in the east. In the Middle East being fat would show money and the enjoyment of life (too much food). In actuality Buddha focused on moderation in all aspects of his life including fasting, walking, and other things. One article I read said that the Laughing Fat Buddha, Hotei or Pu-Tai, is not the real Buddha but is the one that will replace the Old Buddha. It is known as Maitreya Buddha and it is said to have come when people needed to be reminded of the Dharma.  “The Maitreya Buddha represents wealth, health, love, happiness or joy, success, peace, and harmony. In short, he represents what each person aspires for” (Sana Ako). I think it is interesting that there is a “popular” image of Buddha that may change according to what people want. I understand the idea of people striving for happiness, health, and love. Those are things that everyone wants in life.

http://blog.sivanaspirit.com/10-facts-about-buddha/

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-good-life/201207/when-did-the-buddha-become-fat

http://sanaakosirickylee.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/the-happy-fat-buddha-a-representation-of-maitreya-buddhas-blessings/

http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/deities/laughing_buddha.htm

Fish, Dragons, and Buddhism Oh my!

            When I think of Buddhism the first two images that enter my mind are those of fishponds and dragons. In about ninety percent of Japanese or Chinese art, structures, or films have some representation of dragons or fish. When we watched Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring on our first day of class this summer, I noticed the fishpond and dragon statues immediately! I started to wonder if those animals have a significant meaning in the Buddhist faith and I figured it would make for a pretty interesting first blog post. After a few hours of research I found some very interesting information.

            In Buddhism, fish are known to symbolize happiness because they have absolute freedom in the water without having to fear the possibility of drowning. They are also a symbol of fertility and family because fish tend to reproduce very rapidly. In my research I found many versions of the legend of the Golden Fish, which is one of the eight auspicious symbols in Buddhism. Originally the two fish represented the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in India. These two sacred rivers are commonly associated with the solar and lunar channels that carry the rhythms of prana, which means ‘life-sustaining force’ in Pali.

            In the Buddhism found in Japan, Koi fish represent good luck and good fortune. Koi ponds can be found in almost every Buddhist temple around the globe. In addition to being good luck, Koi fish also symbolize courage and power. The fish always swim upstream despite the strong current. Their ability to swim upwards shows immense power and determination because nothing can stop them from completing their mission, which is why it is a main symbol in Japanese culture.

            The second animal symbol that I found interesting was the dragon. It is most commonly found in Tibetan Buddhism and it symbolizes great creative power. According to the legend, dragons are shape shifters that are able to transform at their will. They are most commonly found in two colors, either brown or green. The brown dragon of Buddhism represents the autumn equinox; that is when it dives into a deep dark pull and encases itself until the next spring. The Azure, or green dragon, is said to soar into the sky at the time of the spring equinox. It represents the light’s rising power during the spring as well as the easterly direction of the sunrise. The Dragon is known to have either jewels or pears clutched in its claws, which symbolize both health and wisdom. It is said that by squeezing the jewels the dragon has the ability to control the weather. It can create dew, rain or even torrential downpours depending on how tightly it squeezes the jewels. It is also found that the dragon is the medium of the Vairochana, which is the white Buddha of the east or center. I have added an image of dragon that can be found all over Tibet.

http://www.baronet4tibet.com/symbolism-animals.html

http://www.omtibetanjewelry.com/pages/tibetan-buddhist-symbols-in-buddhist-jewelry.html

http://www.tibethomestay.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3:8-auspicious-symbols&catid=4:about-us

http://templesbuddhist.blogspot.com/2010/11/koi-tattoo-meaning-and-symbolism-rich.html

Sunrise / Sunset, a documentary by Vitali Mansky (available on Netflix)

It's probably true for most of us that we imagine Buddhist Monks living as we have viewed them in the films we've seen in class.  Living a life away from the world, free from material possessions and outside influence, one with nature and with time for contemplation.  This film is a documentary that follows the Dalai Lama throughout his day.  The narrator offers some brief explanation about the Dalai Lama's situation as a political exile in India, his lifestyle as a Buddhist leader and some words of wisdom from the man himself.

I was left with a rather tainted impression of the Dalai Lama.   My prior knowledge of the Dalai Lama was limited.  I only knew that he is a Buddhist leader and that he lives in exile from Tibet.  The film began by explaining that the common belief is that this Dalai Lama is living his 14th reincarnation and because of that his time moves at a rate 14x faster than ours.  The narrator goes on to explain that the Dalai Lama lives in India on a compound that is guarded by armed guards and Tibetan warriors.  The security people are obvious throughout the film.  There are scenes of the Dalai Lama walking among pilgrims who come to see him.  He is escorted by a large entourage of monks and security.  There is great pomp and fanfare, similar to what we are used to seeing with The Pope.  The film says that the Dalai Lama spends 5 months of the year in private meditation.  The remainder of the year is made up of tightly scheduled meetings with visiting dignitaries from around the world.  His residence is filled with figurines, flower arrangements, paperwork, and miscellaneous furniture that you would expect to find at your grandparent's house.  There was even a scene where he was watching Animal Planet and the BBC Channel, as well as one of him walking on a treadmill.

I could go on, but I don't have anything good to say about the rest of the film either.  There were comments about poverty, overpopulation and the need for non-violent birth control.  There was a voice over section with the Dalai Lama talking about the imbalance of wealth and poverty in this world and how that needs to change.  The director layered these words over scenes of terrible poverty in the streets of India, just miles from where the Dalai Lama lives in clear comfort.  Nothing I saw in this film was even slightly related to the readings and discussions we've had together in class about Buddhist philosophy.  There was one part where a televised prayer session was offered to pilgrims when a basic introduction to Buddhist beliefs was explained.  Aside from that, I was left with a decidedly materialistic, political and sour perspective on this man who is so respected around the world.  Thinking that something seemed off, I decided to do some quick research so I would better understand the role of the Dalai Lama.

The Dalai Lama has his own website.  The site offers a number of readings aimed at helping explain the situation in Tibet, the Dalai Lama's contributions to the world and his views on the future of his position.  You can read these for yourself and draw your own conclusions.  Wikipedia offered some history and political understanding of the role which is clearly as political as it is spiritual.  I also found an article from The New Yorker that seemed to line up a little more with my own skeptical opinion.  NPR has an article that gives an interesting overview as well.

http://www.dalailama.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_Dalai_Lama
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2008/03/31/080331crbo_books_mishra
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15321257

The Lotus Flower in Buddhism

      During the first discourse in Early Buddhist Discourses, the Buddha references a pond full of many lotus flowers. The editor/translator then added a footnote to that reference, and he shares that the lotus flower holds a significant meaning in Buddhism, “especially in the texts of Mahayana tradition” (Holder, 11). Apparently, the lotus flower symbolizes “purity and divine birth” within the Buddhist tradition (BBC News). Although lotus flowers can grow out of murky and dirty ponds, the flowers always maintain their beauty. One might see the flower as something that goes beyond the pond, but the flower “is still rooted in the pond” (Holder, 11). This observation seems to reflect the Buddhist ideal of becoming a pure being out of an impure world. The lotus flower is “usually pink,” but lotuses can also appear as white, red, blue, or purple (The Pond Clinic Water Garden Centre). In Buddhism, each color represents a different aspect of the practice. For example, a red lotus “signifies the qualities of the heart” and a purple lotus represents mysticism (BBC News). The pink lotus flower “is considered to be the true lotus of Buddha” (Ravenscroft). In addition to the colors of the flower, the lotus structure also enforces other Buddhist ideals. Many varieties of lotus flowers tend to have eight pedals after blossoming. These eight pedals are said to be “representative of the noble eightfold path” and to remind admirers of their journey towards purity (Ravenscroft). Ultimately, lotus flowers act as a vehicle for the Buddha’s teachings, and they themselves should not be worshiped or considered holy. Their mere existence naturally represents some of the Buddhist ideals, but the same observations can be applied to countless other works in nature. 

Works Cited

"Buddhism - An Introduction." BBC News. BBC. Web. 12 June 2014. 

      <http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/religion/buddhism/introduction_questions.shtml>.

"Lotus Varieties." The Pond Clinic Water Garden Centre. Web. 12 June 2014. 

      <http://pondclinic.com/aquatic-plants/lotus/lotus-varieties/>.

Ravenscroft, Dean. "Lotus Flower Meaning and Symbolisms." Lotus Flower Meaning. Web. 11 

      June 2014. 

      <http://www.lotusflowermeaning.net/>.

Welcome

Hello Class,

Welcome to the Blog! Here we will post short responses (250-500 words) to independent research we each conduct on Buddhist film, culture, concepts, imagery, news, etc. Anything Buddhism related that interests you can be the subject of your research and post. Please comment even if it is just to say you found the post interesting or had the same question, etc. Each person is responsible for 2 posts (one in the first 2 weeks, one in the second).

Happy Blogging,
AAD