Women in Buddhism

0:00 Tonight's talk is going to follow a theme and that I'd like to talk about women and in particular I'd like to talk about the inspiring women of the Terigata. The Terigata being the verses of the elderly nuns and recently I went on pilgrimage to northern India Mainly to the areas where the Tibetans are in exile. Visited many important Tibetan nunneries and other monasteries. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:40 And after I went on pilgrimage, I went to the Sakyadita International Conference in Malaysia, where I met more fabulous women. Report an error in the passage at 0:40 Highlight the passage at 0:40

0:57 The theme of tonight's meditation and the talk is going to be honoring those wonderful women. So we'll start with a meditation and I'd Report an error in the passage at 0:57 Highlight the passage at 0:57

1:11 like to dedicate this meditation to all my sisters and my brothers, people of all genders really, but I was super inspired by a poem a young lady Sent to my friends and I at Sakyadita. Her name was originally Anisha. She is now a nun in Northern India. Report an error in the passage at 1:11 Highlight the passage at 1:11

1:42 And it's inspired by a talk that was given by Dr. Paula Arai on the healing art, seeing women's heart of wisdom and compassion. Report an error in the passage at 1:42 Highlight the passage at 1:42

2:01 And I'm going to... I'm going to intersperse some of her verses in this meditation. So I'll put my timer on and while I do that I invite you to make yourself comfortable, make sure you're warm. Report an error in the passage at 2:01 Highlight the passage at 2:01

2:19 But most important thing about meditation of course is to be kind and compassionate to yourself. It doesn't really matter how you sit, you don't have to be rigid straight, the perfect posture, it's just about being kind to yourself. Report an error in the passage at 2:19 Highlight the passage at 2:19

2:41 Set this timer. Report an error in the passage at 2:41 Highlight the passage at 2:41

2:58 So I invite you to settle into the space. And Report an error in the passage at 2:58 Highlight the passage at 2:58

3:12 what I always say to my workplace meditators is Report an error in the passage at 3:12 Highlight the passage at 3:12

3:21 settle into the space and arrive. Arrive at this point. And what I mean by that is Report an error in the passage at 3:21 Highlight the passage at 3:21

3:36 to take, make a commitment to yourself that for the next 30 minutes you will give yourself the space and the grace. To simply be at ease. To leave behind the worldly cares of the day. To leave behind all the thoughts of planning, of life making and Report an error in the passage at 3:36 Highlight the passage at 3:36

4:07 simply exhale. Report an error in the passage at 4:07 Highlight the passage at 4:07

4:12 Exhale all those things that no longer serve you. Report an error in the passage at 4:12 Highlight the passage at 4:12

4:19 As you gently close down your eyes and Report an error in the passage at 4:19 Highlight the passage at 4:19

4:28 draw in a nice deep long breath. Report an error in the passage at 4:28 Highlight the passage at 4:28

4:34 Like it's the first breath, the first real breath. You've taken all day and Report an error in the passage at 4:34 Highlight the passage at 4:34

4:48 you might like to even put one hand on your heart and one on your belly and Report an error in the passage at 4:48 Highlight the passage at 4:48

4:59 taking a nice deep long breath in is feeling the rise of the chest, the rise of the belly and Report an error in the passage at 4:59 Highlight the passage at 4:59

5:16 letting it all fall away with the out breath. I'd Report an error in the passage at 5:16 Highlight the passage at 5:16

5:33 invite you to dive down beneath all the movements of mind and Report an error in the passage at 5:33 Highlight the passage at 5:33

5:46 come to rest in the heart space. Report an error in the passage at 5:46 Highlight the passage at 5:46

6:11 Feel your feet on the floor. Feel Report an error in the passage at 6:11 Highlight the passage at 6:11

6:21 your connection with the earth. Report an error in the passage at 6:21 Highlight the passage at 6:21

6:29 The earth like a mother holding Report an error in the passage at 6:29 Highlight the passage at 6:29

6:38 us in her arms. Report an error in the passage at 6:38 Highlight the passage at 6:38

6:47 Always compassionate. Always forgiving. Always Report an error in the passage at 6:47 Highlight the passage at 6:47

6:57 nourishing. Report an error in the passage at 6:57 Highlight the passage at 6:57

· · · silence, 1 minute

7:32 And listening. Report an error in the passage at 7:32 Highlight the passage at 7:32

7:36 Listening deeply. Report an error in the passage at 7:36 Highlight the passage at 7:36

7:45 Endowed with ears to hear the cries of the world. To listen to teachings and singing birds. Report an error in the passage at 7:45 Highlight the passage at 7:45

8:24 Softening our eyes in Report an error in the passage at 8:24 Highlight the passage at 8:24

8:31 a kind, compassionate gaze. Eyes Report an error in the passage at 8:31 Highlight the passage at 8:31

8:44 like beautiful orbs resting Report an error in the passage at 8:44 Highlight the passage at 8:44

8:50 beneath our eyelids. Eyes to see the pain in your eyes, to visualize blissful realms. Report an error in the passage at 8:50 Highlight the passage at 8:50

9:35 Noses to smell roses and the fragrance of forgiveness. Report an error in the passage at 9:35 Highlight the passage at 9:35

10:13 Mouths To taste. Does the soup need salt? To savour the satisfaction of nourishing. Report an error in the passage at 10:13 Highlight the passage at 10:13

10:49 Fingers. To tend a wound or play the violin. Report an error in the passage at 10:49 Highlight the passage at 10:49

11:22 Arms and legs. To carry books and bags. And heavy hearts. Arts Report an error in the passage at 11:22 Highlight the passage at 11:22

11:45 of gold. To beat in sync with the drums of justice. Report an error in the passage at 11:45 Highlight the passage at 11:45

12:20 Minds. Report an error in the passage at 12:20 Highlight the passage at 12:20

12:25 To think about finances and laundry, to expand with a summons of wisdom, Report an error in the passage at 12:25 Highlight the passage at 12:25

13:01 wombs, to give birth to forms of love, Report an error in the passage at 13:01 Highlight the passage at 13:01

13:13 wrinkly and smooth, round and angular, dark and light, Report an error in the passage at 13:13 Highlight the passage at 13:13

· · · silence, 1 minute

13:57 encoded with the DNA of the Buddha. What superb vehicles for transporting compassion. Report an error in the passage at 13:57 Highlight the passage at 13:57

· · · silence, 1 minute

14:54 Life forms, death reforms, wisdom transforms, compassion conceives. Who was I before I was born? And Report an error in the passage at 14:54 Highlight the passage at 14:54

· · · silence, 4 minutes

19:10 again, life forms, death reforms, wisdom transforms, compassion conceives. Who was I before I was born? In Report an error in the passage at 19:10 Highlight the passage at 19:10

· · · silence, 5 minutes

24:38 these last few moments as we Draw to the end of the meditation. I'd Report an error in the passage at 24:38 Highlight the passage at 24:38

24:53 invite you to notice the space within. Report an error in the passage at 24:53 Highlight the passage at 24:53

25:19 Maybe reflect back on this Report an error in the passage at 25:19 Highlight the passage at 25:19

25:28 short meditation to Report an error in the passage at 25:28 Highlight the passage at 25:28

25:34 look into your heart and ask yourself, what Report an error in the passage at 25:34 Highlight the passage at 25:34

25:47 does this feel like to be at peace? What Report an error in the passage at 25:47 Highlight the passage at 25:47

25:55 does this feel like to rest in a heart space of compassion, of kindness? Report an error in the passage at 25:55 Highlight the passage at 25:55

26:12 And you might bring your hands to your heart and Report an error in the passage at 26:12 Highlight the passage at 26:12

26:20 finish by saying a few kind words to yourself. Report an error in the passage at 26:20 Highlight the passage at 26:20

26:29 May I be happy and well. May my mind be clear. Report an error in the passage at 26:29 Highlight the passage at 26:29

26:40 May my thoughts and words be ones of kindness, gentleness. May Report an error in the passage at 26:40 Highlight the passage at 26:40

26:55 I move through my day with ease. Report an error in the passage at 26:55 Highlight the passage at 26:55

27:04 Then if it feels right to do so, you might bring someone to mind. Who's in need of a bit of care and kindness right now. Send your good wishes to them as well. And may they be happy and peaceful. Report an error in the passage at 27:04 Highlight the passage at 27:04

27:24 May their minds be calm and clear. May their bodies support them with strength and wellness. May they too move through their days with ease. Report an error in the passage at 27:24 Highlight the passage at 27:24

27:49 Sending those wishes out as I begin to sound the bell. And Report an error in the passage at 27:49 Highlight the passage at 27:49

· · · silence, 1 minute

28:33 when you're ready, you can gently... Open the eyes. Report an error in the passage at 28:33 Highlight the passage at 28:33

28:41 I usually say turn to the people next to you, all our friends online, all around the world, and say thank you. Thank you for meditating together today. May we all be happy and well and peaceful and kind. Report an error in the passage at 28:41 Highlight the passage at 28:41

29:11 Okay, well, now that we're all feeling calm, we'll move on to tonight's talk. What Report an error in the passage at 29:11 Highlight the passage at 29:11

29:27 I wanted to talk about tonight, the Report an error in the passage at 29:27 Highlight the passage at 29:27

29:40 Daughters of the Buddha, and Report an error in the passage at 29:40 Highlight the passage at 29:40

29:44 how we, just to, because we don't often talk about the historical struggles, the journey of the first women who sought ordination. And I thought it might be nice to just share some of what I've learned. I've been quite inspired by this book. by you probably can't see it actually by Vanessa Sassen called The Gathering and it's the story of the first Buddhist women and it's written as historical fiction essentially. Report an error in the passage at 29:44 Highlight the passage at 29:44

30:24 So Report an error in the passage at 30:24 Highlight the passage at 30:24

30:27 Vanessa is a professor of religious studies in Canada at the Marianopolis College and she has spent years reading the suttas, researching, imagining. Report an error in the passage at 30:27 Highlight the passage at 30:27

30:44 What it must have been like for the first women who sought ordination. Because they were quite heroic women, really. They were women who dared to defy the social order to pursue the highest spiritual freedom. Not surprisingly, there's very little written about the spiritual journeys of women from this time. Report an error in the passage at 30:44 Highlight the passage at 30:44

31:12 So many scholars have tried to piece this together using the Terrigata. which is the early poems of the nuns. So before the nuns died they would often tell a story or compose a short poem which describes their enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 31:12 Highlight the passage at 31:12

31:40 So I've been quite inspired by Vanessa's book The Gathering and Report an error in the passage at 31:40 Highlight the passage at 31:40

31:49 I never really understood why the request. Made by Queen Gautami, Mahapajapati, which led to the first women's ordinations as bhikkhunis, was such a revolutionary act. But it makes sense when we look at the history of how women have been defined, usually by their domestic or their family role. Report an error in the passage at 31:49 Highlight the passage at 31:49

32:20 So women, you know, back in the Buddhist day, they were... They're considered as property for the kitchen and the family, not for spiritual heights. And reading some of the early poems of the elder monks, I think at best they were distraction and at worst a bit of a frat with fearful powers. Report an error in the passage at 32:20 Highlight the passage at 32:20

32:51 It's quite surprising when you compare the two. Report an error in the passage at 32:51 Highlight the passage at 32:51

32:59 So to feel how radical this was and put the story in context, the verses of the elder bhikkhus provides a bit of a useful insight. I'd like to read you some of the verses of the Theragatha, which is the stories of the elder monks. They sort of paint a picture of how women were viewed in the Buddhist days. It's Report an error in the passage at 32:59 Highlight the passage at 32:59

33:33 quite variable. I read a few of them. This one is by Elder Biku, Sandra Osamada. And Report an error in the passage at 33:33 Highlight the passage at 33:33

33:49 there, having seen her asking, a courtesan, with folded hands, decorated, well-dressed, set like a noose of death. Report an error in the passage at 33:49 Highlight the passage at 33:49

34:07 Having seen danger in sensual pleasures, seen going forth as refuge, escaping from all sensual pleasures, I've reached the end of taints. Nabana. Report an error in the passage at 34:07 Highlight the passage at 34:07

34:31 This is Elder Bhikkhu Nagasamala when he saw a woman on alms round, decorated, well-dressed, garlanded, anointed with sandalwood paste. In the middle of the highway, a dancer was dancing to the music. I entered for alms round. While going, I saw her, decorated, well-dressed, set like a noose of death. Report an error in the passage at 34:31 Highlight the passage at 34:31

35:23 People are tied to people. People cling to people. People are injured by people. People injure people. What is the benefit of people, of people and those born of people? Leaving people you should go, having injured many people. That's verses of the Elder Bhikkhu, Sabhamita, the friend of all. Report an error in the passage at 35:23 Highlight the passage at 35:23

35:57 Assassinating the sensual pleasures they dwell, debt-free here. We all go to Nibbāna here, where having gone, one does not sorrow. Report an error in the passage at 35:57 Highlight the passage at 35:57

36:07 It sort of goes on and on. The women are usually referred to in terms of the dangers of sensual pleasures. Elder Bhikkhu Atuma to his mother, like a young bamboo sprout grown up, liable to destruction, is an encumbered one. Thus I would be with wife brought, with consent I ordained here. Report an error in the passage at 36:07 Highlight the passage at 36:07

36:43 Having seen the decaying one, sick and suffering one, and having seen the dead one, gone to full ending of lifespan, there I went forth and ordained, abandoning delightful sensual pleasures. Report an error in the passage at 36:43 Highlight the passage at 36:43

36:58 That's not necessarily about women. Report an error in the passage at 36:58 Highlight the passage at 36:58

37:22 So it's interesting to read anyway. And Report an error in the passage at 37:22 Highlight the passage at 37:22

37:32 basically when, so the gathering tells the story of how Queen Maha Bhajapati, the Buddha's stepmother, and Princess Isodara, Buddha's wife, led more than 500 women from the Banyan Grove near Kapilavatthu to Vasali. So the king had died and there was no heir. Queen Maha Bhajapati walked away from her throne to become Gautami, leader of the Gautama people. Report an error in the passage at 37:32 Highlight the passage at 37:32

38:11 And what had happened is, as we all know, the story of how the Buddha left the palace, he left his life of riches, he went forth to seek enlightenment, basically. And gradually, more and more men had joined the Buddha in his quest. So with their menfolk flocking to join the Buddha, the women were effectively led to fend for themselves. Report an error in the passage at 38:11 Highlight the passage at 38:11

38:39 And Queen Gautami, she wanted in. You know, I can imagine she felt quite miserable and lonely when Prince Siddhartha, who became the Buddha, Rahula, his son, and her own son Nanda, renounced the worldly life to join the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 38:39 Highlight the passage at 38:39

39:01 And King Sadodana had also passed away on attaining arahantship. So she was left by herself. Report an error in the passage at 39:01 Highlight the passage at 39:01

39:16 Imagine how that must have felt, that your whole family has left you, they've gone forth on this spiritual journey, and she's left it back at the palace with Princess Usadora, the Buddha's wife. Report an error in the passage at 39:16 Highlight the passage at 39:16

39:35 So she's hearing the stories of this great man, her son, leading all of these men, forming the... The original monastic order. Report an error in the passage at 39:35 Highlight the passage at 39:35

39:55 And she thinks, I want part of that. So ordination was foremost in her mind. Seeing her own wish for spiritual liberation, she went to the Banyan Grove to ask for ordination. Report an error in the passage at 39:55 Highlight the passage at 39:55

40:08 But it wasn't as easy. Report an error in the passage at 40:08 Highlight the passage at 40:08

40:14 So I'll just read you a bit, and of course this is historical fiction, so none of this is really written down. This is all... Report an error in the passage at 40:14 Highlight the passage at 40:14

40:28 Imaginings, basically, based on the collation of facts. He Report an error in the passage at 40:28 Highlight the passage at 40:28

40:38 was the man seated in front of her now, the man they called the Buddha. What have you come here to ask, Gotami? He would not call her mother. She was not even Maha Pajapati anymore, she realized. Instead, she had become Gotami, the female leader of the Gautama people. Report an error in the passage at 40:38 Highlight the passage at 40:38

41:01 When she left the palace that morning, she had left the throne and all that it represented behind. She was not the queen of the Sakya kingdom anymore, but she was a leader, bringing women forward in a hope of reaching a more illustrious goal. Report an error in the passage at 41:01 Highlight the passage at 41:01

41:17 And the women were waiting for her at the gate of the Banyan Grove, waiting to hear the outcome of the request she was about to make on their behalf. Report an error in the passage at 41:17 Highlight the passage at 41:17

41:29 I've come here to ask for your permission to join the order, she said. Out there at the edge of the grove are dozens of women who followed me. They have all come with the same hope to be ordained, to be given a place at your feet, to study with you and learn how to find inner freedom. Will you give us ordination so that we may live as a community of nuns beside you? Report an error in the passage at 41:29 Highlight the passage at 41:29

41:56 And then someone coughed behind her. She turned around to find the entire male monastic community sitting in organised rows to the side of them. She'd known that they would be there, but she'd forgotten about them the moment she arrived. And the men, they were not happy. I mean, you've heard so many, the poems of the Terragata, that these men had... Report an error in the passage at 41:56 Highlight the passage at 41:56

42:24 They'd walked away from their families. They'd walked away from whatever situations were causing them suffering. The last thing they wanted was a group of women joining them. They'd left the home life. And so the Buddha says, I understand what you're asking, Gautami, bringing her attention back to the discussion at hand, but I do not think you should make this request. Report an error in the passage at 42:24 Highlight the passage at 42:24

42:56 It is not a good idea. Not a good why? How could he answer her that way? He had barely even considered her request before denying it. She was only asking for access to the teachings. Why would he say no after everything she'd done for him? Report an error in the passage at 42:56 Highlight the passage at 42:56

43:19 And then she chided herself. This had nothing to do with what she'd done for him over the years. And this was not as simple as she was pretending it to be. She wasn't just asking for access to the teachings, and she knew it. They both did. She was asking for everything. For the opportunity to sit beside him and practice the teachings the way he did, with her head shaved. Report an error in the passage at 43:19 Highlight the passage at 43:19

43:44 If she was only asking for access to the teachings, that was easily remedied. People everywhere were practicing his instructions without ordination. They were doing it from home with their heads shaved. While still living the lives they had always led. But she was asking for something else. She was asking for ordination. She was asking for permission to live the life of a renunciant in a community of men. Report an error in the passage at 43:44 Highlight the passage at 43:44

44:11 She was asking for the moon. Report an error in the passage at 44:11 Highlight the passage at 44:11

44:16 And the tradition is that you ask three times. So again she repeated her question. And again the Buddha said, I do not think you should make this request. It's not a good idea. Report an error in the passage at 44:16 Highlight the passage at 44:16

44:33 And finally, She asked again, the same response. The Buddha closed his eyes and disappeared into his inner universe. He remained quiet a long time, a place where Gotami couldn't follow him. He opened them, he looked at her with studied concentration and replied one more time, I understand what you're asking, Gotami, but I do not think you should make this request. Report an error in the passage at 44:33 Highlight the passage at 44:33

45:01 It's not a good idea. Report an error in the passage at 45:01 Highlight the passage at 45:01

45:05 Burrows of male monastics stirred again. It sounded like a collective sigh of relief. And a black crow swept overhead with a piercing call. And it was time for Gautami to walk away. Report an error in the passage at 45:05 Highlight the passage at 45:05

45:23 So on face value, you could say, well, the Buddha said no. But in Gautami's mind, Queen Gautami's mind, the Buddha did not say no. He had simply said that she should not make this request. It was not a good idea. That was very different to know in Katami's ideas. While he had simply said, come to the men, the women would have to prove their mettle. Report an error in the passage at 45:23 Highlight the passage at 45:23

45:58 So they set off on a journey, a long and arduous journey, about 200 miles all the way from Banyan Grove to Vasali. And along the way, they Report an error in the passage at 45:58 Highlight the passage at 45:58

46:22 Gathered women, and it was women from all walks of life, courtesans, prostitutes, young bereaved mothers, women on the run, risking imprisonment. Report an error in the passage at 46:22 Highlight the passage at 46:22

46:37 So while the men learned the dharma in the bamboo groves and under the shade of the banyan, the women faced the grit, all the grit of humanity, and all manner of agents of mar ahead on, mar after mar. Report an error in the passage at 46:37 Highlight the passage at 46:37

46:56 So greed, hatred, and delusion, Report an error in the passage at 46:56 Highlight the passage at 46:56

47:02 All the four messages, aging, sickness, death, birth, the women, they were really put through their paces, mile after mile. Report an error in the passage at 47:02 Highlight the passage at 47:02

47:19 And upon reaching their destination, and to the consternation of the monks, who had probably thought they had escaped women, and felt very frightened, Gautami asked the Buddha once more, in the perfumed hall, Report an error in the passage at 47:19 Highlight the passage at 47:19

47:37 And only after walking 200 miles, constantly bartering for the release of these women who wanted to join them in their quest for ordination, you Report an error in the passage at 47:37 Highlight the passage at 47:37

47:52 know, fending off husbands whose property had walked off the job, fending off various, like, villains and bandits, meeting women like Paduchara. Crazed with grief, having lost her whole family in one day. Women of all, of all situations. Report an error in the passage at 47:52 Highlight the passage at 47:52

48:26 Gautami asked the Buddha once more. And Report an error in the passage at 48:26 Highlight the passage at 48:26

48:33 after much consternation, she was granted the ordination she sought. Report an error in the passage at 48:33 Highlight the passage at 48:33

48:42 But again, this didn't come easy. And it was really Venerable Ananda. He turned the Buddha around. At Report an error in the passage at 48:42 Highlight the passage at 48:42

49:05 first, the Buddha, so Ananda sees all these women at the gate. And he says, you know, the women have walked all this way. They're standing at the gates with shaven head, tears in their eyes. They are seeking ordination. And the Buddha at first said, my answer remains the same. It's not a good idea that they ask that question. Report an error in the passage at 49:05 Highlight the passage at 49:05

49:36 The answer had not changed. Report an error in the passage at 49:36 Highlight the passage at 49:36

49:45 But Ananda was determined. And I'll read a bit here. Focus, he reprimanded himself. Gautami said that he had not said no. What does that mean? He closed his eyes, almost squeezing them shut, as he tried to turn the situation around and look at it in a new way. Where was the opening? Bhante, he began again. I have a second question. Report an error in the passage at 49:45 Highlight the passage at 49:45

50:11 If women practice the discipline just as you've taught it, would they be able to achieve perfection of the mind just like men? The Buddha didn't hesitate. Yes, Ananda, if women practice the discipline just as I've taught it, they will achieve perfection of the mind just like men. So women have the same abilities as men when it comes to achieving awakening. Report an error in the passage at 50:11 Highlight the passage at 50:11

50:36 The Buddha raised an eyebrow. I just want to be sure I understand, Bhante. Yes, Ananda, women have the same abilities and the same potential as men when it comes to achieving awakening. There is no difference. So Ananda wanted to jump up and cheer. If the women were just as capable as men, then there could be no obstacle to their ordination. Report an error in the passage at 50:36 Highlight the passage at 50:36

51:05 The Buddha could say, come, to the women, just as he had said it to him, Ananda, when himself was a... Where he himself was ordained. Simple as that. There was no difference. So if there's no difference, why is it that Mahapajapati Gautami is waiting at the edge of the property for permission to join the order? Report an error in the passage at 51:05 Highlight the passage at 51:05

51:28 If she can achieve awakening the same way a man can, if she has the ability and the potential, why is she denied the opportunity? She stands out there in a dusty robe and a tear-stained face. She who took care of you nursed you. Raised you after your mother died. And then he realised the mistake he made. You can't guilt the Buddha. He felt like he'd ruined everything. Report an error in the passage at 51:28 Highlight the passage at 51:28

51:59 He'd broken the cardinal rule, invoking family bonds to the Buddha. When it was the Buddha who taught them to let these bonds go. Which, again, you can see with the poems of the elder monks. Report an error in the passage at 51:59 Highlight the passage at 51:59

52:19 And the Buddha... He said, Ananda, you must be careful with your emotions. Report an error in the passage at 52:19 Highlight the passage at 52:19

52:27 And then, after Ananda apologized, the Buddha sighed as though the weight of the world was upon him. Report an error in the passage at 52:27 Highlight the passage at 52:27

52:42 Ananda felt devastated. He felt like he was lost inside a story that was so much bigger than him. Report an error in the passage at 52:42 Highlight the passage at 52:42

52:54 And finally, he lifts his head. Would you permit me one last question? The Buddha said, you're welcome to ask as many questions as you want. Bhante, you have often said that you are not the first Buddha in the cycle of our universe. There have been countless Buddhas that came before you, and there will be countless Buddhas to come after. Report an error in the passage at 52:54 Highlight the passage at 52:54

53:19 But every cycle in our mysterious universe reveals a new teacher who teaches truth and sets the wheels in motion. You're correct. Report an error in the passage at 53:19 Highlight the passage at 53:19

53:29 You've also said that there are many similarities between all those Buddhas. They have similar life stories and they all teach the same truth because the truth does not change. You're correct. They had followers just as you do. Report an error in the passage at 53:29 Highlight the passage at 53:29

53:47 Yes, and they had monastics too. They did. Did the previous Buddhas have both male and female monastics? Did the previous Buddhas give women permission to join their orders? What did these previous Buddhas do? Report an error in the passage at 53:47 Highlight the passage at 53:47

54:07 And then the Buddha laughed, a great big mighty laugh. You are much sharper than you permit yourself to believe, my dear Ananda. Every one of them, every one of my predecessors gave women permission to join the order. Every one of them had fully ordained nuns in their communities, every single one. Report an error in the passage at 54:07 Highlight the passage at 54:07

54:33 So the women are summoned to the perfume chamber. Report an error in the passage at 54:33 Highlight the passage at 54:33

54:42 Everyone's racing around, making themselves presentable. And Report an error in the passage at 54:42 Highlight the passage at 54:42

54:52 then they Report an error in the passage at 54:52 Highlight the passage at 54:52

54:58 finally, they finally, the Report an error in the passage at 54:58 Highlight the passage at 54:58

55:07 Buddha finally agrees to ordain them. But this is the big but. It comes with the eight guru dharmas, or known as the eight heavies. Report an error in the passage at 55:07 Highlight the passage at 55:07

55:23 Permission is granted, but it's only the first step. The second stamp is this. You must be willing to accept eight important rules for ordination to be possible. Rules that will be yours as nuns to follow for the rest of your lives. Report an error in the passage at 55:23 Highlight the passage at 55:23

55:40 And the first rule, a nun who has been ordained even for a hundred years will be junior to a monk who's been ordained one day. Report an error in the passage at 55:40 Highlight the passage at 55:40

55:53 And that rule has to be honoured, respected, revered, never transgressed. Report an error in the passage at 55:53 Highlight the passage at 55:53

56:04 Number two. Nuns may not live in retreat without a monk nearby, but the monks may live without nuns. Rule Report an error in the passage at 56:04 Highlight the passage at 56:04

56:17 number three is not written down here, but rule number four, nuns must receive instruction from monks. Monks will not be instructed by nuns. Nuns will confess their transgressions in front of monks. Monks will not confess their transgressions in front of nuns. That was five. Six, a nun must be ordained by a community of monks and nuns. Report an error in the passage at 56:17 Highlight the passage at 56:17

56:41 But monks will be ordained only by fellow monks. And on it went. And Report an error in the passage at 56:41 Highlight the passage at 56:41

56:51 finally, rule number eight, a nun is forbidden from criticizing a monk. A monk, however, may criticize a nun. That was it, the eight heavy rules. Report an error in the passage at 56:51 Highlight the passage at 56:51

57:05 So those Report an error in the passage at 57:05 Highlight the passage at 57:05

57:09 were the times. So these women, they had walked away from their homes. They had escaped bonds. Report an error in the passage at 57:09 Highlight the passage at 57:09

57:22 They'd risked everything. And they were offered ordination, but with these very heavy rules. But I Report an error in the passage at 57:22 Highlight the passage at 57:22

57:40 guess presented with that, the women would have to weigh it up. You know, they're kind of damned if they do, they're damned if they don't. Report an error in the passage at 57:40 Highlight the passage at 57:40

57:54 It's not as, I mean, some of these women were prostitutes. They escaped violent husbands. They'd gone through hell and back. Report an error in the passage at 57:54 Highlight the passage at 57:54

58:07 This, you know, despite all of the heavy rules, this was still refuge. So Report an error in the passage at 58:07 Highlight the passage at 58:07

58:23 the fight shifted from proving women could be enlightened to demanding they be treated equally. And Gautami did push back. Report an error in the passage at 58:23 Highlight the passage at 58:23

58:41 So the women, that was how the order of nuns started. So Report an error in the passage at 58:41 Highlight the passage at 58:41

58:57 I don't think that fight is necessarily over. That fight for equality, I don't think anyone could really say that that is over. Report an error in the passage at 58:57 Highlight the passage at 58:57

59:11 But when we fast forward through the years and listen to the women themselves through the poems of the Terrigata, I think they do become declarations of freedom. Report an error in the passage at 59:11 Highlight the passage at 59:11

59:37 And it just goes to prove that enlightenment doesn't check your gender. Report an error in the passage at 59:37 Highlight the passage at 59:37

59:45 So take the nun Vimala, and the story of the first gathering is really told through the eyes of Vimala, who was a prostitute, originally a courtesan and then a prostitute. They're a bit different. She came from a very marginalised life but achieved the ultimate goal. And this is her poem. I was a courtesan, proud of my beauty, full of conceit. Report an error in the passage at 59:45 Highlight the passage at 59:45

1:00:15 But now, having shaved my head and wearing the robe, I go about for alms, for darkness is dispelled. I have conquered the host of Māra. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:15 Highlight the passage at 1:00:15

1:00:31 And another lovely poem by Pata Chara. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:31 Highlight the passage at 1:00:31

1:00:39 And this is from a different book, actually, which is far more academic, The Lives of Early Buddhist Nuns. Plowing the field with plows, sowing seeds in the ground, nourishing wives and children. Young Brahmins find wealth. Why do I, possessed of virtuous conduct, complying with the teachings of the teacher, not obtain Nibbāna? Report an error in the passage at 1:00:39 Highlight the passage at 1:00:39

1:01:03 I'm not lazy nor proud. I washed my feet in the water and paid attention, observing the water for the feet flowing from high to low ground. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:03 Highlight the passage at 1:01:03

1:01:19 Then I concentrated my mind like an experienced, well-trained horse. I took a lamp and entered my cell. I inspected the bed and sat on the couch. Then I took a needle and drew out the wick. The liberation of my mind was like the extinguishing of a lamp. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:19 Highlight the passage at 1:01:19

1:01:45 Women also went on to be great teachers. And this is a little story of Ultima and an unknown teacher nun. I went up to a bhikkhuni who was fit to be trusted by me. She taught me the doctrine, the elements of existence, the sense basis, the elements. I heard the doctrine for her as she instructed me. For seven days I sat in one and the same cross-legged position, consigned to joy and happiness. On the eighth day I stretched forth my feet, having torn asunder the mass of darkness, of ignorance. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:45 Highlight the passage at 1:01:45

1:02:29 I went up to a bhikkhuni who was fit to be trusted by me. She taught me the doctrine, the elements of existence, the sense bases, the elements. I heard the doctrine for her and sat on one side. I know that I've lived before. I've purified the divine eye and there is knowledge of the state of mind of others. I've purified the ear element. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:29 Highlight the passage at 1:02:29

1:02:53 I've realized supernormal power too. I've attained the annihilation of the asavas. I've realized these six supernormal knowledges. I've done the Buddhist teaching. So Report an error in the passage at 1:02:53 Highlight the passage at 1:02:53

1:03:12 despite the setbacks. Now I want to fast forward to a more personal experience. So I just wanted to paint the context of the struggle of the early Buddhist nuns in order to understand just how far We've come, but also how that struggle is still alive. So I went on pilgrimage recently, and I'll show you a little picture. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:12 Highlight the passage at 1:03:12

1:03:57 She has some slides now of where I went. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:57 Highlight the passage at 1:03:57

1:04:13 So recently I joined a group of women to Report an error in the passage at 1:04:13 Highlight the passage at 1:04:13

1:04:21 go on pilgrimage to northern India. I'm hoping you can all see that. Can you see a map? Report an error in the passage at 1:04:21 Highlight the passage at 1:04:21

1:04:35 Yes, we can see. Excellent. Well, we traveled from Delhi, essentially up to Dharamshala. And Report an error in the passage at 1:04:35 Highlight the passage at 1:04:35

1:04:48 I want to just fast forward a little bit through these slides. So Report an error in the passage at 1:04:48 Highlight the passage at 1:04:48

1:05:04 there's two, so the fight to realize the Theragada's promised, those promises of enlightenment, the battle for equality, has been carried forward by two very visionary women. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:04 Highlight the passage at 1:05:04

1:05:24 And I want to... Just share a personal account. So while we're on pilgrimage, we visited the Dongyu Gatsoling Nunnery. And Report an error in the passage at 1:05:24 Highlight the passage at 1:05:24

1:05:46 this is the nunnery that was established by Tenzin Palmo, Jitsuma Tenzin Palmo. And Jitsuma Tenzin Palmo, she's quite legendary, not only for living in a cave in the snow for so many, years, but also her legendary vow to attain enlightenment in the female body. So she's a modern echo of Vimala's cry for freedom, of the early nun's cry for freedom. She's, you know, quite known to go head to head with the Dalai Lama. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:46 Highlight the passage at 1:05:46

1:06:27 And she's established this nunnery, and it's a place where you could say the pursuit of wisdom is non-negotiable. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:27 Highlight the passage at 1:06:27

1:06:39 And the type of things that she's managed to achieve is incredible. So there was, I forget how many hundreds of nuns, I think 135 nuns live at Dongyu Gatsaling Nunnery. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:39 Highlight the passage at 1:06:39

1:06:57 And she's managed to revive a lot of the very ancient traditions. So one of the historic achievements has been to reinstate the Togdenmas. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:57 Highlight the passage at 1:06:57

1:07:11 So when we were there, there was women who had been in retreat for more than 16 years. Women who are achieving incredible levels of attainment. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:11 Highlight the passage at 1:07:11

1:07:27 And she has quoted as saying, My feeling is that well-trained nuns will have an increasingly important role to play in upholding the sacred dharma. We're committed to helping this come about. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:27 Highlight the passage at 1:07:27

1:07:45 And this came to fruition with the recent Re-establishment of the Togdemna lineage. The accomplished female yoginis in 2024. So realizing, institutionalizing the ultimate spiritual capability of women. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:45 Highlight the passage at 1:07:45

1:08:07 The other amazing lady we met was Karma Lecture. Yeah, still got the wrong one. So Karma Lecture, she has established Not only did she co-found Sakyadita International, she also founded the Jamyong Foundation to champion education for women in the Himalayan regions. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:07 Highlight the passage at 1:08:07

1:08:42 So what was happening is young women were, you know, being placed into nunneries, you know, sometimes not always fair choice. So they'd enter the nunneries as young girls. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:42 Highlight the passage at 1:08:42

1:09:00 But while they received a monastic education, they didn't necessarily receive a regular education. So invariably when they get to a certain age, they can make a choice as to whether to stay or leave. And they leave with not a lot of wisdom about the world. Their spiritual practice might be strong, but they've made the choice to leave. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:00 Highlight the passage at 1:09:00

1:09:33 And unfortunately, many of them end up working in hospitality, or quite menial tasks, because they don't have a level of qualification. So they end up working these long hours, open to abuse, very poor pay, and some fairly sad endings. So karma lecture, through the establishment of the Jam Young Institute, Report an error in the passage at 1:09:33 Highlight the passage at 1:09:33

1:10:09 Ensures that these young women are educated to leave, preventing this cycle and helping them, you know, realize a level of intellectual and economic autonomy. So it was quite inspiring. And when we reached Malaysia, seeing these two women in the flesh, they really are incredible. When they walk, it's like they float. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:09 Highlight the passage at 1:10:09

1:10:44 And if I was to imagine what an Arahant would look like, a female Arahant would look like, it would be these two women. Just so kind, so peaceful, so gentle, but so fierce. I'm Report an error in the passage at 1:10:44 Highlight the passage at 1:10:44

1:11:12 probably nearing the end of my little talk, but I wanted to play these videos and I'm hoping the sound is going to work for you again. These are some of the nuns that we met. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:12 Highlight the passage at 1:11:12

1:11:26 These nuns are from Gatsoling nunnery, I think. I'll just play you some of their chanting and Report an error in the passage at 1:11:26 Highlight the passage at 1:11:26

1:11:40 sing out if the sound's not coming out. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:40 Highlight the passage at 1:11:40

1:11:45 So Report an error in the passage at 1:11:45 Highlight the passage at 1:11:45

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:12:36 when we were there, it was Sakadawa, which is like our Vesak, in honour of the Buddha's birthday. And these nuns chanted all night. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:36 Highlight the passage at 1:12:36

1:12:50 The other wonderful thing to see in terms of the level of education being obtained by the nuns was here. Let's remind myself where that was. Yeah, Dormaling Nunnery is where these nuns are chanting for Sakadawa. But near Dormaling Nunnery is the Dialectics Institute. So these women, they study for a good number of years, like it's something like 16 or 17 years. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:50 Highlight the passage at 1:12:50

1:13:39 And they graduate with the equivalent of a PhD. And part of their study process is debating. So I'm not too sure if you've ever seen monks debating, but... We had such a joyous time watching these young nuns debating. So Report an error in the passage at 1:13:39 Highlight the passage at 1:13:39

1:14:14 I wonder if those early Buddhist women ever imagined the day would come where, you know, their sisters in the future would, you know, be able to live in safe places like these. Beautiful nunneries run by the likes of Carmen Lecture and Tenzin Palmo to be able to achieve an education to, you know, reach their full spiritual potential. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:14 Highlight the passage at 1:14:14

1:14:48 So Report an error in the passage at 1:14:48 Highlight the passage at 1:14:48

1:14:53 the way forward, you know, the struggle continues, but the foundations have been built. And the theme of the Psyche-Edita conference was around navigating change. So we're no longer debating women's potential. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:53 Highlight the passage at 1:14:53

1:15:11 We're building, you know, the foundations. We're building on the foundations. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:11 Highlight the passage at 1:15:11

1:15:22 And what really heartened me, I mean, of course, in Western Australia, we have Dharmasaran Monastery where Ajahn Brahm and Tathāgata. the target here. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:22 Highlight the passage at 1:15:22

1:15:41 We had the ordination of nuns in Western Australia. Caused much consternation with the Thai monasteries, but, you know, we did it anyway. And now those nuns, they've sort of reached the point where they've been ordained for 12 years or more and they're going out and teaching. They're going to Santee, they're going to Newbury. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:41 Highlight the passage at 1:15:41

1:16:03 There's a wonderful project at the moment, Dharmadita. which looks to establish a training center in Sri Lanka to lift the quality of monastic teaching for nuns in Sri Lanka. We recently saw the beautiful Piravina project where Ajahn Brahmali and Bhante Sojato and others have they oversaw the translation of the Vinaya into Report an error in the passage at 1:16:03 Highlight the passage at 1:16:03

1:16:42 English, you know, from Pāli to English, because what's happened over the years is that, you know, the original teachings, the original language has been lost. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:42 Highlight the passage at 1:16:42

1:16:57 In the Sri Lankan monasteries, this Pura Vena project will help, you know, women become more connected to learn the Vinaya in a real, in a much more consolidated sense. Bhutan will see its second mass ordination of women in November this year. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:57 Highlight the passage at 1:16:57

1:17:22 There was the women graduating with Geshe Maa degrees in northern India. It's really pretty exciting to see how much things have grown. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:22 Highlight the passage at 1:17:22

1:17:38 Venerable Chanda in the UK building that monastery. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:38 Highlight the passage at 1:17:38

1:17:48 Yeah, wonderful time to be a woman practicing Buddhism. I don't think we truly appreciate that living in the West. It wasn't until I went to India and came back that I truly appreciated what we have here. I mean, I appreciated it, but I didn't realize just how lucky we are to have that fourfold saṅgha. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:48 Highlight the passage at 1:17:48

1:18:13 So I'll finish my talk there. And I hope... That you have enjoyed those readings. And I think I will finish with one more poem. A more modern poem from a little book called Let the Light Shine. And this is by Bukuni Medanandi. It's Report an error in the passage at 1:18:13 Highlight the passage at 1:18:13

1:18:42 called I Live as a Beggar. I live as a beggar in the beauty of virtue. A clear mind, not withering with fear or hate. Destroying dread and delusion. I guard the jewels of my heart. Among my teachers, pain and poverty, sorrow and impatience, and life's sweetness, poured through the notes of each breath. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:42 Highlight the passage at 1:18:42

1:19:08 Alone with the hills and wildflowers, I walked the razor's edge beyond death. And this was written at the Hermitage in Paikakariki in New Zealand. And Report an error in the passage at 1:19:08 Highlight the passage at 1:19:08

1:19:30 as a final, final, final, I just wanted to read to you, ah, there it is. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:30 Highlight the passage at 1:19:30

1:19:39 A bit of a cheeky poem. That's not a cheeky. The final poem by Paula Arai, who I was reading from during our meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:39 Highlight the passage at 1:19:39

1:19:53 And she said, it's called Cat's Eye, Buddha's Mirror. Mirror, mirror, oh so bright, dust has nowhere to alight. What does the eye of wisdom see? Mother Buddha's everywhere. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:53 Highlight the passage at 1:19:53

1:20:13 Thank you for indulging me. Talking about women. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:13 Highlight the passage at 1:20:13

1:20:23 You know, I've tried this a few times at the BSWA and we've Report an error in the passage at 1:20:23 Highlight the passage at 1:20:23

1:20:36 got a long way to go. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:36 Highlight the passage at 1:20:36

1:20:41 I'll just leave it as that. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:41 Highlight the passage at 1:20:41