Men vs. Women

During the celebration of the National Day holiday, visitors from all over the country came to our academy, and the Working Group also enforced security measures during this period.

Among the visitors, a group of young men and women from Beijing seemed especially bubbly. Some of them were translators from the State Department while others were reporters from various media units… their outfits also attracted people’s attention. Accompanied by members of the Working Group, they were allocated an hour’s time to meet with me.

Among them, the majority already had some understanding of Buddhism. A female reporter, who supposedly was well known locally, raised her complaints about the discrimination against women in Buddhism: “Many Buddhist scriptures describe the defects of women. Why does the Buddha favor male over female?”

Now facing this modern youth who stands for equality between sexes, I replied calmly: “This is not a question that only Buddhists need to address, but it is an awkward situation presented to the world as a whole. The issue of women’s non-dominant position is not unique to Buddhism. Take a look at the world—isn’t it true that very few countries have a female commander-in-chief? Looking back through thousands years of human history, how many women stand out as forceful stars of their generation? Now, try to count on your fingers: Among the innumerable activists that have come to the fore, women account for how many percent?” Hearing my words, the group chuckled despite themselves. The reporter also lowered her head in deep reflection.

“Indeed, many Buddhist scriptures list the faults of females, such as being overly jealous and having insatiable craving, etc. These are also flaws most women easily fall into. In the Sutra of the Great Kindness of Parents That Is Hard to Repay as Taught by the Buddha, it says: ‘Ordinary women tend to be oversentimental; they do not exercise enough intelligence. They regard giving birth to babies and raising children as their natural calling.’ Therefore, the energy females funnel into relationships and their rate of suicide is higher than that of males, impeding them from exercising fully their talents and abilities. This undeniable fact and other obvious shortcomings are the manifestations of females’ lack of good fortune.

It is said that recently the government has instigated a quota to include one woman in every four county magistrates. But when this policy was put into effect, it immediately hit a snag, as some areas just could not find candidates who met even the minimal qualifications. Shall we, then, also blame this on Buddha’s lack of compassion?

But in Vajrayana, the female is the symbol of wisdom and there is no issue on the inequality of sexes. Should one day you enter Vajrayana and become a real practitioner, you will realize deeply the equality of men and women at a higher level.” Hearing my reply, these visitors appeared quite satisfied.

Presently, the Working Group announced: “Visiting time is up!” Reluctantly, they took their leave from the reception room.

29th of August, Year of RenWu
October 5, 2002