GFCH Article Flash: How Buddhist Women Can Achieve Equality

[GFCH (India)]

The F Word in Buddhism: 'Daughters of the Buddha' Discuss How Buddhist
Women Can Achieve Equality
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Courtesy: The Huffington Post
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Patricia Zenn already had a religion when she grew up in Malibu:
surfing. But as she was constantly teased by her classmates about her
family name ("Are you Buddhist or what?"), curiosity led her to borrow
a book about Buddhism when she was only 11 years old. To her surprise,
she instantly realized "this was it!"

Fast forward to 1977, when she was in her early 30s, the Sixteenth
Gyalwa Karmapa ordained her in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and gave
her the Tibetan name Karma Lekshe Tsomo. Very fittingly, "Lekshe"
means "eloquent." Venerable Lekshe quickly realized that conditions
for Buddhist nuns were dire. She single-handedly started a movement to
give Himalayan nuns access to education. At the time, more than 30
years ago, this idea was, at best, treated as a waste of time, or even
discouraged by the established monasteries.

"They're telling the nuns, 'Oh, you're so humble, you're not
interested in gaining prestige and power like these Westerners,'"
Lekshe says with a calm voice but a quizzical look. "Well, I just
wonder why they are not telling the monks that. If women are
perpetually disadvantaged, this is what you end up with. Surveys show
that the nuns' health is by far the worst of any group. Their
educational standards are by far the worst too. There is a lot of work
to be done, and awareness raising, especially among women."

Karma Lekshe Tsomo set out to develop a network of supporters, even at
the risk of her own life and cost to her health. Along with her late
teacher Freda Bedi and her friend Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, she is among
the earliest and fiercest advocates for the education of Tibetan nuns.
Karma Lekshe Tsomo is the president of Sakyadhita ("Daughters of the
Buddha"), the most important international association of Buddhist
women, and of Jamyang Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to the
education of Himalayan women.

I am often surprised how few Buddhist women know about Sakyadhita, and
this is why I write about it here. This week several thousand Buddhist
women (and a few men) gather for the Sakyadhita conference in
Vaishali, an ancient city in North India that the Buddha visited on
many occasions. Every time Sakyadhita chooses a different country, but
at every conference they discuss meaningful ways in which Buddhist
women can advance their access to education and full ordination (which
is not available to women in several Buddhist traditions despite the
Buddha's initiative to ordain women). The Sakyadhita conferences have
generated a worldwide Buddhist women's movement. "Cultivating
confidence," "Buddhism at the Grassroots," "Women Changing Buddhism"
and "Women's Stories" from India and all over the world are part of
the topics presented at this year's conference. Noted speakers this
year include Venerable Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, whose life story has
been told in Vicki Mackenzie's bestselling "Cave in the Snow," and
Rita M. Gross, the author of "Buddhism After Patriarchy."

What is the main obstacle? "Sexism," Lekshe candidly sums it up. She
is not afraid to use the F-word. "Feminism," she says, delivering the
punch line with a coy smile, "has been called the radical theory that
women are completely human." The gender imbalance affects Buddhist
women worldwide. "We are talking about more than 300 million women
dedicated to peace, honesty, loving-kindness and compassion. Certainly
we would want to optimize the talents and potential of these wonderful
women." In the West, more and more teachers recognize this potential,
but "women have almost no voice in Asian Buddhist institutions. For
women to move into positions of leadership, they need to be fully
educated and trained."

Lekshe, a professor in Religious Studies at the University of San
Diego, is confident that things will change: "Why shouldn't women have
the same opportunities? More and more, I see it as a human rights
issue."
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