Feminism and Buddhism
Feminism is a powerful, significant force in Western society.
Gunabhadri explores its links with the spiritual life.
The Feminist movement had its beginnings in the eighteenth century when, as a result of the Industrial Revolution, women lost their traditional place in Western society and became economically dependent on men. Since then it has tried to redress the balance between activities open to men and those open to women. Whereas possibilities for education were limited in the nineteenth century, now, in the twentieth, women in the West are in a position to be as well educated as men, they can vote, and they have achieved equal rights in terms of job opportunities.
More recently, feminism has become increasingly concerned with the issue of psychological and social conditioning, and the ways in which these vary for men and for women. From early childhood, says Kate Millett, a contemporary feminist, men and women are trained to accept a system which divides society into male and female spheres, with appropriate roles for each, and which allocates public power exclusively to the male sphere. Feminists try to redress this balance, and encourage women to develop qualities which in our society are labeled masculine, such as initiative, aggressiveness, responsibility, and so on. Feminists also explore the areas in which women are different from men and try to help women gain confidence in these areas and in their ways of expression.
Feminism, then, could be described as a movement that demands — or insists — that women should have access to all the facilities they require for their development as human beings; it asserts that they should not be confined or limited to any particular range of facilities or activities; and it encourages them to take more initiative, be more independent, and to function as individuals in their own right, rather than being mere extensions or supports to the men in their lives. Feminism of this sort is quite compatible with Buddhism and the spiritual life.
Unfortunately, some branches of feminism have gone to extremes. The activities and ideologies of these branches are largely based on a hatred of men, and on a desire to eliminate them. Women involved in such movements argue that, having been excluded from certain activities and humiliated for so long, now, as a response, and as a means to lift themselves out of an enforcedly narrow existence, they need to express their anger. Thus they wish to humiliate men and exclude them from certain areas of human activity. This kind of feminism (which is the feminism that reaches the media most frequently) is certainly not compatible with Buddhism or with any other form of spiritual life. It is based on the negative emotion of hatred and, rather than helping to create a positive alternative for men and women, it serves to destroy any possibility of understanding between the sexes; it damages men and women.
Feminism is concerned with a limited reform of society and consciousness, aiming to achieve equal opportunities for men and women. Buddhism takes a broader view and occupies itself with the human and spiritual development of all. Feminism looks at human beings primarily in terms of their sexual differences; Buddhism looks at them in terms of their highest potential, which is Buddhahood. Buddhism addresses itself to individuals, not to men or women
At the hub of the FWBO we therefore find a unified Order of women and men; everything in the Order is open to women and to men; they take the same ordinations and vows; they exercise the same functions at public centres; they practise the same meditations, study the same texts, and so on. In the FWBO we feel that no one should be excluded from the process of higher human development, whether on grounds of sex, race, colour, level of education, or social position.
For women who have not yet come into contact with Buddhism, some contact with the feminist movement may be useful. It can help them prepare the ground for their further development, especially by urging them to look at their social conditioning and try to understand which aspects have taught them to be themselves, and which are a hindrance. The feminist movement can help women develop a sense of their identity as women, help them develop a sense of self-worth, self-respect, and self-confidence, which many women do not have. Inasmuch as it succeeds in doing this, the feminist movement can be seen as a movement that paves the way for further spiritual development, a definite stepping-stone towards Buddhism.
Valuable though it is, however, the feminist movement cannot be more than that. It consists of many different branches which do not share one clear, unified vision or ideal. It offers few clearly defined methods of personal development. And, compared with the all- embracing Buddhist ideal of human and spiritual development, its goals are specialized, even limited. For some, feminism is a helpful tool on the way to Buddhism. But when we start practising Buddhism we can begin to leave feminism behind.
Reprinted from Golden Drum 7.