DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Does Buddhism need different traditions, schools and sects?

**boanuatiguali** · 07-23-2010, 12:50 PM

Yes, it's better than a lot of traditions, and yes the Buddha relented on the whole "ordination of women" thing, but Buddhism as a collection of established traditions still has some ground to cover on being equally accessible for men and for women.

I cannot stress enough, as a woman, how quickly it rings false for me when people assume things must have been so much better back in the day when everybody knew what was what and had everything right. Not for me, they didn't. Buddhism got a better start than a lot of traditions, but that doesn't mean we should uncritically accept anything in it just because it happens to be the oldest bit.

There I agree with you. I am in the habit of telling anyone who will listen how crazy it is to oppress half of a society's population, and thus a great part of their potential contribution to the society. And now I think of it, this is an aspect of the Canon that has never sat with me entirely comfortably; it is not evenhanded.

07-23-2010, 12:50 PM	#11
boanuatiguali Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 479 Senior Member	Yes, it's better than a lot of traditions, and yes the Buddha relented on the whole "ordination of women" thing, but Buddhism as a collection of established traditions still has some ground to cover on being equally accessible for men and for women. I cannot stress enough, as a woman, how quickly it rings false for me when people assume things must have been so much better back in the day when everybody knew what was what and had everything right. Not for me, they didn't. Buddhism got a better start than a lot of traditions, but that doesn't mean we should uncritically accept anything in it just because it happens to be the oldest bit. There I agree with you. I am in the habit of telling anyone who will listen how crazy it is to oppress half of a society's population, and thus a great part of their potential contribution to the society. And now I think of it, this is an aspect of the Canon that has never sat with me entirely comfortably; it is not evenhanded.
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