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From: jneatrou@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (John Neatrour)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.buddhism
Subject: Re: Was the Buddha A Feminist?
Date: 8 Apr 1996 23:15:29 GMT
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston IL
Lines: 18
Message-ID: <4kc6mh$7fj@news.acns.nwu.edu>
References: <4jvf7n$84s@canopus.cc.umanitoba.ca> <3163d5c0.4706633@ixnews1.ix.netcom.com> <4k3g7p$2l4g@news-s01.ny.us.ibm.net> <4kbm2q$5ll@senator-bedfellow.MIT.EDU>
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In article <4kbm2q$5ll@senator-bedfellow.MIT.EDU>,
Rick  <an234911@anon.penet.fi> wrote:
>lclark@ibm.net wrote:
>
>>Was the historical Buddha reluctant to ordain woman into the sangha of
>>monks......probably so. He did have to work with the relative limitations 
>> of the culture. In fact, did he ordain woman into the sangha of monks, yes.
>
>Succintly put. Somehow I don't see Buddha Gautama as a social reformer,
>but it seems that de facto spiritual feminism would have been a natural
>perk of his compassionately universal message and equanimity.

yes the ordination of women was an extremely radical step. if one compares the
later condition of women inthe Sangha it gradually declined in response to
cultural pressures. once again it seems to be improving because of the
excellent response of many ordained women to the challenges they face.

jn