[GentlieGant]

There has been much written and said about pain, the experience of pain in meditation. I would love to discuss this more but have to leave for work in a moment.

However, following the last comment from Cobalt, I was reminded of how surprised I was to find out about the number of rules governing the relationship of a monk with women [in the Theravada tradition at least].

It was made quite real to me on the long retreat.... something I had 'just noticed' on shorter retreats.

I was curious about a number of things I found on the long retreat.

Why did the men and women sit in different meditation halls?
Why did the men and women use separate doorways?
Interviews were usually divided - women's interviews in the morning...men in the afternoon...this alternated ..but if the day was cut short...the women lost their session.

There was also mention in talks of 'women's desire being 9 times stronger than that of a man'

When I got home wanted to find out about this by looking at monastic training so read 'The Bhikkhus Rules', A Guide for Laypeople, by Bhikku Ariyesako.

This explained the door entrances and much more.
Hadn't realised there is a rule that says 'Teaching more than six sentences of Dhamma to a woman, except in response to a question is an offence unless a knowledgeable man is present'

Interesting eh!
A bit difficult to digest.
But these are the rules a Theravada monk lives by and has been brought up with.
There are so many more rules that govern women...not accepting things from them..touching them..being alone with or driving in a car with a women.
The reasons for the rules being established in the first place are also explained in this short book.

Found a strong inner protest arose in me.

Women renunciants in Buddhism have to cope with all these rules. [Tenzin Palmo mentions her difficult path trough the male dominated heirachy in the Tibetan tradition]