Living Theravada: Demystifying the People, Places, and Practices of a Buddhist Tradition by Brooke Schedneck

Author:Brooke Schedneck [Schedneck, Brooke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shambhala
Published: 2023-04-18T00:00:00+00:00

Triumphs and Challenges

There is a broad range of roles for women within Buddhism, both as laity and ordained members. Ordination for women is more complicated than for males because of the decline of the Theravada bhikkhuni lineage. However, the plight of women in Buddhism is not simply one of patriarchal domination and feminist resistance. Some women love supporting and serving the monks as laywomen and precept nuns. Other women desire to be fully a part of the monastic institution as bhikkhuni.

For Theravada men, ordination and the celibate life of a monk are rites of passage through which they realize their masculinity and become seen as men in their communities. Men gain maturity and the ability to transfer merit to their parents. Their celibacy proves their maturity, discipline, and control over their sexuality. For Theravada women, celibacy does not prove maturity or female identity—femininity is achieved through marriage and motherhood. Women fundamentally violate these social norms when they practice celibacy and reject the domestic, maternal realm.

In the end, women are inspired by the same spiritual ideals as men. Many of the women surveyed in this chapter are not concerned with gender but instead with Buddhist doctrines dealing with human birth and how to get out of the cycle of rebirth. Within patriarchal systems, women face particular challenges. However, through Buddhism’s universal teachings of liberation from suffering, women have worked within these challenges and achieved their goals. Many of the women who succeed are especially strong-willed and determined. However, it is impossible to know the number of women who were not able to overcome the challenges faced due to societal constraints on their paths toward nibbana.

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