Chapter 7: The Life of the Buddha

Further thoughts on The Life of the Buddha, a collection and translation by Nanamoli:

This is the chapter on admitting women into the sangha. The Buddha's stepmother, the woman who raised him, nursed him, when his mother died soon after he was born. She wanted to join the sangha. The Buddha initially said no but she came back and he gave 8 conditions, and she accepted them.

Now is this where I think like I do with Shakespeare? With Shakespeare I don't think he's anti-semitic or misogynistic or racist, no more than the average person, he just captured these forces in his plays. Merchant of Venice has a depiction of a jewish man, from the standpoint of a playwright in a country that banned jewish people. And Taming of the Shrew is just how women were handled then, women were married off by their fathers. And Othello was just how Moores were treated in those days. Our interpretations of the plays can be racist as well, supposedly John Adams thought Desdemona deserve being killed for marrying a black man.

Anyway, I'm not sure how women were treated in the Buddha's time, but there is an amazing book that captures women going into the spiritual life, and might be the first feminist spiritual classic: Therīgāthā. I found it a really powerful book when I read it on retreat. It wasn't the theme of the retreat, I just find I can read a lot deeper when I'm on retreat, and I found it very inspiring.

So was the Buddhist sexist by applying 8 rules for women? Was he capturing the sexism in the society to apply skillfully?

Could he have given a simple yes, let them in. I don't know, but that's what I would do from my unenlightened perspective twenty five hundred years into the future, from America, who's only had the Dharma for 200 years, only about a tenth of the Dharma's existence on Earth.

I do know that one of the amazing monasteries in the USA is led by a woman: Sravasti Abbey. I'm not aware of any sex scandals in that sangha--the plague which most large sanghas in America have had to face, why I would recommend smalls sanghas. Everyone owns their own spiritual life and I wouldn't let anyone put some idea on mine that would limit it, or my daughters.

There is also a prophecy that because women were let into the sangha that the Dharma would be on earth for less time. I'd say that if anyone trots that out, it's a hook for people who want to blame women and have negativity towards them, so what out for anyone who brings this up.

Zen in Japan

I'm reading The Circle of the Way by Barbara O'Brien, a history of Zen. I'm on the chapter where Zen comes to Japan. Reading about the beginning of Zen in Japan, I came to appreciate the separation of church and state. I know that's been weirdly eroded by someone who isn't religious beyond signing bibles for people.

For me the history of Buddhism is a history of great Buddhists. Now in politics and history, I see things more in terms of forces, and great men are not all they're cracked up to be. I see the history of literature, contributions to world spirituality literature to be great. I do recall some discussion of the Diamond Sutra, and the Vimalakirti Nirdesa but those are some heavy hitters, great contributions to Buddhist literature. The Heart Sutra is the most distilled sutra of awesomeness. The perfection of wisdom sutras are quite amazing.

The mist of time, the first gift statue, and governmental type wrangling it's all pretty vague. I like something I can sink my teeth into.

I was excited to read about Kukai, but there's only half a page on him (p. 188). I had a friend who dressed up in white pilgrim garb and walked around a island, staying in temples, on a Kukai pilgrimage. It sounded awesome. I guess he's not Zen, so he gets short shrift.

The Samurai are an interesting phenomenon. Apparently this was a time when temples needed to be guarded. They were kind of monkish, shaved their heads, but they of course did not abstain from violence. When you think about the evolution of humanity, it really has come a long way.

As the country turned into a "Degenerate Age" Honen and Shinran were about in the 12th and 13th Century, made Pure Land Buddhism an option. Chant Amitabha's name with faith was something a layman could do. Nichiren wanted you to chant the name of the Lotus Sutra.

Then Dogen (1200-1253) comes. He's the big guy in Zen Buddhism, founded the Soto Zen sect. He was ordained at 13 and studied at Enryaku-ji and Kennin-ji and then went to China. Dogen's literary legacy is big.

Ikkyu (1394–1481) is the rebel bad boy of Japanese Buddhism. He seemed to partake in devine madness, crazy wisdom.

There was a combination of Pure Land chanting of "Namu Amidha Butsu" and hautou, "who is reciting the Buddha's name?" called Obaku. They have a temple still in existence.

It's hard to imagine a time when temple abbots were murdered or asked to commit ritual suicide. There are all kinds of amazing sentences like, "One day, he coughed up a ball of bloody phlegm and experienced a great insight." (P. 230) The he is Bankei Yotaku. You can read all about it in Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693 by Bankei Yōtaku.

Hakuin (1686 - 1769) is another Japanese sage with an interesting biography and spiritual journey. There is an article by Barbara O'Brien. You can see some of his art in a NY Times article.

There is all sorts of history to get through. Then we get into modern times with DT Suzuki, Watts and others. Zen at War is seen as an important book that O'Brien's teacher told her not to avoid, though she did for a while. And that leads into America's internment of Japanese Americans during WW2. There's a book on it that I'm dying to read.