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  1 1   |         tend to feel that men and women are equal and should be
  2 1   |         me to examine the role of women in Theravada Buddhism. Theravada
  3 1   |          by examining the role of women in early Buddhism, and trace
  4 1   |      trace the historical role of women in Theravada Buddhism through
  5 1   |       What, then, was the role of women at the time of the Buddha?
  6 1   |         at approximately 500 BCE. Women seem to have held an extremely
  7 1   |       obeying her grown children. Women usually had to marry the
  8 1   |       although occasionally young women would be given the choice
  9 1   |           fathers. ~Once married, women were supposed to obey their
 10 1   |        looked after the servants. Women ate only what was left after
 11 1   |        husband, but not the wife. Women were supposed to bear children
 12 1   |          wives away to other men. Women were lowered nearly to the
 13 1   |       There were, of course, some women who were courtesans or prostitutes.
 14 1   |   courtesans or prostitutes. Some women chose this life for themselves.
 15 1   |      robbers and murderers. ~Many women were lower-class servants
 16 1   |         servants or slaves. These women had to follow all of the
 17 1   |          their masters. The slave women did not have the right to
 18 1   |         they could beat the slave women to death. There are instances
 19 1   |           recorded in which slave women were beaten so regularly
 20 1   |     suicide. ~In all their roles, women were less powerful than
 21 1   |         second class citizens." 1~Women seldom were allowed to make
 22 1   |     statement on the potential of women. When asked by Ananda (his
 23 1   |    disciple) the Buddha said that women are capable of becoming
 24 1   |    capable of becoming arhats. If women follow the path of renunciation,
 25 1(1)|       Benefactresses: The Role of Women in the Development of Buddhism,"
 26 1(1)|    Development of Buddhism," in   Women, Religion, and Social Change,
 27 1   |        teaching that not only can women reach the same levels of
 28 1   |     enlightenment as can men, but women also follow the same path
 29 1   |       differences between men and women. However, in these statements,
 30 1   |       differences between men and women are unimportant in the pursuit
 31 1(2)|      Sponberg, "Attitudes Towards Women and the Feminine in Early
 32 2   |          upon his conviction that women and men could pursue liberation
 33 2   |          preached to both men and women. He was willing to teach
 34 2   |          of his way to bring both women and men to a deeper understanding.
 35 2   |    understanding. His belief that women could become arhats in the
 36 2   |           validate the efforts of women to practice a life of renunciation.
 37 2   |          She and a large group of women who want to be nuns dress
 38 2   |       first refuses to ordain the women, although he admits that
 39 2   |           although he admits that women who live the monastic life
 40 2   |        the Buddha's mind, and the women are ordained as nuns. However,
 41 2   |         towards enlightenment for women? Some recent commentators
 42 2   |         Buddha thought of men and women as equal, and made the bhikkhus
 43 2   |           existence of a group of women which were acknowledged
 44 2   |          the best way to preserve women's ability to work towards
 45 2   |         many people (both men and women) for half the length of
 46 2   |      teaching would end sooner if women were ordained because he
 47 2   |     allowed that much freedom for women. ~All commentators agree
 48 2   |          Buddha's teachings about women was that women could attain
 49 2   |    teachings about women was that women could attain arhatship and
 50 2   |         attain arhatship and that women could do so by following
 51 2   |       Buddha opened the doors for women's entrance to monastic life.
 52 2   |        entrance to monastic life. Women flocked by the thousand
 53 2   |          the order of bhikkhunis. Women joined for all sorts of
 54 2   |        all sorts of reasons. Many women joined simply because the
 55 2   |      desire for liberation. Other women, though this first reason
 56 2   |    relatives died. Some very poor women joined because the order
 57 2   |     become bhikkhunis. Some young women chose the renunciate's life
 58 2   |          preferable to marriage. ~Women had more freedom and independence
 59 2   |           they often taught other women. ~And many women became
 60 2   |     taught other women. ~And many women became liberated, becoming
 61 2   |          were not recorded. These women were often accomplished
 62 2   |       speakers who led many other women to liberation. Some of their
 63 2   |          freedom from traditional women's positions. Soma, a bhikkhuni
 64 2   |           replied:What should the women's nature signify When consciousness
 65 2(3)|         quoted in Anne Bancroft, "Women in Buddhism," in Women in
 66 2(3)|            Women in Buddhism," in Women in the World's Religions,
 67 2   |  something that looks real, like "women's nature," we simply need
 68 2   |            The greatest source of women's voices in the Pali canon
 69 2(4)|      Sponberg, "Attitudes Towards Women and the Feminine in Early
 70 2   |      Bhikkhunis were not the only women who were important in the
 71 2   |      early years of Buddhism. Lay women were also important in the
 72 2   |        vitality of the sect. Many women who were converted to Buddhism
 73 2   |           Quite a number of these women gained some level of enlightenment,
 74 2   |  financial support of wealthy lay women. Wealthy women gave the
 75 2   |        wealthy lay women. Wealthy women gave the monastic orders
 76 2   |          by wealthy queens. These women provided a large portion
 77 2   |        bhikkhunis was done by lay women, as they were the ones who
 78 2   |          interaction with the lay women. As the bhikkhus were supposed
 79 2   |     constant interaction with lay women could cause quite a problem.
 80 2   |          quite a problem. The lay women provided a temptation and
 81 2(5)|          Meetings with Remarkable Women: Buddhist Teachers in America, (
 82 2   |           to become monks. As the women were left with little financial
 83 2   |          this tendency to present women as temptresses did have
 84 2   |      negative effect of vilifying women. It placed the blame for
 85 2   |           feelings of lust on the women instead of on the monks.
 86 2(6)|       Benefactresses: The Role of Women in the Development of Buddhism,"
 87 2(6)|      Development of Buddhism," in Women, Religion, and Social Change,
 88 2(7)|          Meetings with Remarkable Women: Buddhist Teachers in America, (
 89 3   |           the bhikkhus. While lay women's support has certainly
 90 3   |       similarly useful in freeing women to attain nirvana. ~Clearly,
 91 3   |       Clearly, not all Sri Lankan women have been content to pursue
 92 3   |     nineteenth century a group of women had appeared in Sri Lanka
 93 3   |         the monastic vows). These women are referred to as "Dasa-Sil-Maniyo," (
 94 3   |           approximately 2500 such women in Sri Lanka. ~These women
 95 3   |        women in Sri Lanka. ~These women live very much as bhikkhunis
 96 3   |        also a very small group of women in Sri Lanka who claim to
 97 3   |       explains the claim that the women are bhikkhunis by pointing
 98 3   |      matters is that the monastic women properly understand the
 99 3   |      Western followers? There are women in the United States who
100 3   |           those of the DSM. These women dress like nuns and accept
101 3   |           Sri Lanka. The monastic women who live alone have difficulty
102 3   |         monastic rules, but these women have little other choice
103 3   |      instruction. ~Other monastic women live in temples or meditation
104 3   |         meditation centers. These women are usually more financially
105 3   |       regularly. Western monastic women must let monks eat first,
106 3   |     religious attainment. Western women are not brought up to humble
107 3   |       enormously. There are a few women who are so involved with
108 3   |        which they practice. Other women are acutely aware of the
109 3   |        the actual practice. These women tend to try to use the humbleness
110 3   |          that the same path leads women and men to enlightenment,
111 3   |         and men to enlightenment, women and men are given somewhat
112 3   |     different paths. ~A number of women have split off from the
113 3   | traditional monastic paths. These women, after receiving extensive
114 3   |    traditional limitations put on women. They bow down only to people
115 3   |           They teach both men and women. They often teach traditional
116 3   |         Theravada practice, these women are renegades, scarcely
117 3   |          Yet I suspect that these women, revolutionary as they are,