As man’s lifespan gets shorter and woman’s lifespan increase, in future we will have more and more women in dharma and more nuns ordained. Nowhere in Buddhists texts said that teachers need to be male and we can no longer afford to ignore or devalue women’s spiritual potential. Here is a short extract by Karma Lekshe Tsomo on The Future of Women in Buddhism.
The future of humanity relies on the procreative power of women, since the future of the human species literally depends on women's special power to give birth to children. Yet women's procreative potential is not the only reason to believe that women hold the key to the future. In addition to our biological gifts, we women have many other skills and talents to offer humanity. And Buddhist women have unique strengths and potential to succor our crisis-ridden planet.
In recent decades, attention to the topic of women in Buddhism has expanded dramatically. The Buddhist teachings speak about the nature of the mind and how to purify the mind of the delusions that cloud it in order to achieve lasting peace and happiness. The nature of the mind, which is pure awareness, is identical for women and men. The human potential to dispel delusion and realize perfect happiness is also identical for women and men. This means that the Buddha's teachings are equally liberating for both women and men. So why is it that most of the stories of realized beings in Buddhist history speak about men? If all human beings can practice the Buddha's teachings and become free of greed, hatred, and ignorance, why don't we have more stories about realized women? If all living beings have the potential to become free from suffering, why don't we hear more about women achieving liberation? Nowhere does the Buddha say that being a woman is the result of bad karma, though this rumor continues to circulate in Buddhist societies. In fact, when King Pasanadi bemoaned the birth of a daughter, the Buddha said that a girl child may turn out to be better than a son. When the Buddha's stepmother asked to join the Buddhist order, he confirmed that women have equal potential to achieve the fruits of the path, including liberation. Therefore, there should be nothing stopping women from practicing the Buddha's teachings, achieving realizations, and becoming the inspiring role models that humanity so badly needs. In fact, if a woman sets her mind to it, she may turn out to be a better practitioner than a man. By practicing the Six Perfections - generosity, ethical conduct, patience, joyful effort, concentration, and wisdom - women can proceed directly to buddhahood. By developing loving-kindness, compassion, and wisdom, women can awaken and help lead sentient beings out of suffering.
Since women make up half the world's population, we need to do our part to help address the serious problems that affect humanity today. Women already do more than our share in raising ethical, compassionate children, which is the key to humanity's future. Whatever gender we may happen to be in this lifetime, we need to set aside any misconceptions we may have about women's capabilities and encourage women to become the role models we wish to see in the world. We need to cut through any false thinking we may have about women's limitations and realize that all human beings have equal potential for awakening. Spiritually speaking, there are really no limitations. If we set our mind to it, we can purify the delusions that make us unhappy and, in their place, generate limitless love for all living beings. In a mind of pure love, no darkness can exist. If we cultivate patience, lovingkindness, contentment, and wisdom, then anger, hatred, greed, jealousy, attachment, pride, and negativity can no longer afflict us. A heart of pure compassion is happy, contented, and a source of happiness for others. A person with a pure and loving mind can bring limitless good to our suffering world. As half the population here on planet Earth, women share the responsibility for global transformation equally with men. With full access to the Buddha's liberating teachings, women can shoulder our responsibility and work to benefit the world by embodying the values of peace and love that he taught. There is no aspect of contemporary life that would not benefit from Buddhist values.
If Buddhist women understand the logic of this proposition, then we must take our responsibility seriously. To work toward liberation for the benefit of the world is the highest meaning we can give our lives. The bodhisattva commitment to work toward becoming a perfectly enlightened being in order to liberate all beings from suffering is called bodhicitta. Once we generate this pure and perfect aspiration, we begin working step-by-step toward the goal of buddhahood. According to the Mahayana teachings, all sentient beings have this excellent potential. Women and men alike have the seed of awakening within, waiting to take root. Not only can all sentient beings become perfectly enlightened, they definitely will realize their potential and become buddhas; it is just a matter of time. One of my Tibetan teachers said: "The only difference between us and Buddha Shakyamuni is that we are lazy." Isn't it time for us to get down to the hard work of purifying our minds and realizing that potential?
Do women have greater potential for the inner work of purifying the mind and a greater responsibility for the outer work of compassionate social action? I believe that all human beings have equal potential and share equal responsibility. Yet women seem to work especially hard. The United Nations has documented that 60 percent of the world's work is done by women, though they are often not compensated. History has shown that women are exemplary caretakers for beings in need, yet their loving-kindness and generosity are often undervalued. Many women skillfully alleviate the day-to-day sufferings of those who are ill, weak, or unable to take care of themselves, yet their compassionate contributions may be overlooked or overshadowed by other people's wishes and expectations. Women often set aside their own spiritual development in order to care for others, leaving little time for formal Dharma practice. How do we resolve this dilemma?
The Buddha's teachings are a treasure trove. They are not simply to be chanted. We need to put them into action. Women are developing the confidence to learn and apply these teachings here and now. We have a special responsibility to awaken our wisdom and compassion and apply these priceless values. We can take inspiration from great practitioners, past and present, both women and men. Human life is precious and fleeting. By making the most of every moment and working together, the future can be very bright. Women definitely have the power to transform the world.
