BSO 105 | WOMEN AND BUDDHISM

Handout Module 2
Lecture 1: Is Enlightenment Gendered? – A Persistent Problem
Moving on from the narrative and literary traditions in early Buddhism, Module 2 queries women’s
potential for enlightenment, a fundamental issue for all Buddhist women. We will approach the issue
from two directions: textual and anthropological. By reading together key Mahayana scriptures, we will
discuss the mixed responses to the question “can one achieve enlightenment in a woman’s body?” By
following the lived realities of Buddhist nuns, we also pay attention to the real struggles to achieve
enlightenment within and outside the con nes of the monastery.

The inclusion of women into the Buddhist sangha: The ordination of Mahaprajapati
• The story
• The takeaway:
• Mahaprajapati’s request was denied
• Ananda changed the Buddha’s mind by arguing women can become enlightened
• The origin of the eight heavy rules
• A close reading of one version of the narrative

Arguments for and against Enlightenment in a female body: Mahāyāna examples

• A Very Brief Timeline of Buddhism
• Some new doctrinal developments in Mahāyāna relevant to our discussion
• The expansion of the de nition of Buddha
• The bodhisattva ideal
• The rhetoric of emptiness
• The implication of these developments
• The primary sources
• The Goddess of the Ganges
• The Nāga Princess
• The Goddess in the Vimalakirtinirdesha sutra

Back to Reality: The Eight Heavy Rules and Lived Reality for Buddhist Nuns
• Review of the fourfold Sangha
• Di erent Vinaya transmissions for the three main Buddhist schools today
• Nun’s situation in Buddhism
• The Gurudhamma or Eight Heavy Rules
• Origin
• Purpose
• Were they actually observed?

Summary
• Re ection question: How are we to negotiate between the rhetoric of nonduality (in Enlightenment
this is no gender) and reality of gendered existence?

buddhiststudiesonline.com BSO 105

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