Why should men be higher? Space is space, the four elements are the four elements, the five aggregates are the five aggregates, and women are also like this. As regards attainment of the truth, both men and women attain the truth, and we should just profoundly revere every single person who has attained any enlightenment. Do not discuss man and woman. This is one of Buddhism’s finest Dharma standards.
Nowadays extremely stupid people look at women without having corrected the prejudice that women are objects of sexual greed. Disciples of the Buddha must not be like this. If whatever may become the object of sexual greed is to be hated, do not all men deserve to be hated too?
Another case: Since the ancient past in Japan and China, there have been women emperors. The whole country is the possession of such an empress, and all the people become her subjects. This is not out of reverence for her person but out of reverence for her position. Likewise, a bhiksunī has never been revered for her person but is revered solely for her attainment of the Dharma. When a woman has [thus] already become buddha, is there anything in all directions that she cannot perfectly realize? Who could aim to bar her from passing? She already has virtue that “widely illuminates the ten directions”; what meaning can a boundary have?
[Yet] even in China, there was a stupid monk who made the following vow: “Through every life, in every age, I shall never look at a woman.” Upon what morality is this vow based? Is it based on secular morality? Is it based on the Buddha-Dharma? Is it based on the morality of non-Buddhists? Or is it based on the morality of heavenly demons? What wrong is there in a woman? What virtue is there in a man? Among bad people there are men who are bad people. Among good people there are women who are good people. Wanting to hear the Dharma, and wanting to get liberation, never depend upon whether we are a man or a woman.
areudirty
jbbartram-illu
kianamaiart
snowghoul
yousharknotpass
blakekathryn
