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  • Essay / Essay on Women in Buddhism - 1720

    The earlier proposal of the five obstacles of women in Buddhism (Anālayo 2009, 142), which declared the inability of women to become a Buddha, was considered a key Buddhism discriminates against women. and prevented women from participating in Buddhist practices. However, if people read the context more carefully, they will discover that the reason the Buddha proposed that women could not practice was due to their "sexual desire, their illness, their ignorance..." (Anālayo 2009, 142). According to this definition, the boundary between men and women can be divided into physical and psychological aspects. Psychologically, as long as people possess more "sexual desire, illness, ignorance...", the five obstacles should be applied regardless of whether they are women or men. In other words, people should not judge women as inferior and inferior and men as superior and pure because of their physical gender. When we encounter Buddhist texts, we must read them critically and discriminate the underlying context in order to better understand the sutras. By emphasizing the importance of concentration and acquiring wisdom, the importance of women as an external characteristic has been downplayed and downplayed. “When the mind is well focused and wisdom never wavers, does being a woman make a difference? » (Théro, 1994, 711). This quote clearly indicates that outward appearance has no effect on the practice of Buddhism. Thus, the right to participate is important and equal for all beings. For normal women, the right to participate is governed by the rights and responsibilities of citizens regulated by laws and is reflected in all areas, including politics, culture and economics. Of course, this right also includes the freedom to choose and practice any religion. Buddhism, which was the first religion to grant women the opportunity to be ordained priests, played an important role in gender.