Essay about Women and Buddhism - 618 Words

Women and Buddhism As a religion, Buddhism has a great impact on women, especially Asian women. Theravadan Buddhism, which is the early stage of Buddhism, depreciates women by a theory called â€Å"Five Blocks†. However, Buddhism started to affect women in a positive way when Buddha raised several doctrines and explained the theory in a more proper way. The â€Å"Five Blocks† theory can be summarized as women can’t achieve enlightenment because women are weak, jealous, annoying, desiring and having more affairs in the world. This theory makes women inferior to men for a long time. â€Å"Accordingly women are seen as a weaker sex, cannot make a decision on their own, and they are dependent beings. As commodity, they must be taken care of by their†¦show more content†¦Chinese women formed their own Bhikkhuni group, only for and controlled by women. Emperor Wuzetian even made use of Buddhism to help her being the first and only female emperor in Chinese history. (Lin, 1193) The change in Buddhism significantly helps women: women are no longer appendants, burden of family or bearing tools; women have more freedom than before; women start to have their own power and right. However, rather than saying Buddhism recognized women, I would prefer to say Buddhism recognized â€Å"Equality†. Buddha considers everything in the world are equal, then men and women are equal; Buddha considers men and women have the equal responsibility in the family, then women act as wife more than bearing tools; Buddha considers men and women are equally useful to society, then women can have more right and power than before. Buddha gave women an opportunity to change their life; women themselves grasped the chance and finally get the respect they deserved. Bibliography Buddhanet. 2008. Questions and Answers. Women in Buddhism. [Online] 2008. [Cited:2 ,17 ,2010.] http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/wbq22.htm. Buddhanet. 2008. World Buddhist Affirm the Equity of Women. Women in Buddhism. [Online] 2008. [Cited: 2, 19, 2010.]Show MoreRelatedThe Role of Women in Buddhism1010 Words   |  4 PagesIn many cultures, the roles of women vary reluctantly. While researching the many aspects of Buddhism, the religion is sometimes practiced differently and the roles of women differs. According to Experiencing World Religions, (Molloy, 127) Buddhism is one of the worlds oldest yet most significant religions thus far. It has influenced many cultures, originating from India and making its way to migrate throughout the country of Asia, and women have been involved since the very first day. In today’sRead More Women in Buddhism Essay621 Words   |  3 PagesWomen in Buddhism â€Å"The men may have started this war, but the women are running it.† In the beginning of the war, around 1941, most American women lived as their mothers previously had. 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