In human history, we find that women have been mistreated in almost every country or culture. Mistreating and discriminating against women is more the rule than the exemption. Some more than others, world religions follow the same trait. In this paper we will research and discuss the role and impact of women in two of the most important and extended religions in the world, Buddhism and Hinduism.
Women in Hinduism
Women’s position in Hinduism has always been unclear. Women were traditionally expected to serve their husbands and to have no autonomous interests. Because Hinduism comes from many different sources and traditions, Hindu sacred writings have many philosophical contradictions. On the one hand, some Hindu sacred writings, predominantly of the earlier period, gave immense value to women and were venerated as a symbol of the divine, on the other hand, other Hindu sacred writings discriminated women to incredible extremes. Women were treated as inferior beings. For example, long time ago, when a man died, his widow had to commit suicide by throwing herself on his funeral pyre. This was going on for long time until the colonial power (England) forbids it with strict laws. Another example is an old Hindu writing “(Manu 9.3) Her father protects (her) in childhood, her husband protects (her) in youth, and her sons protect (her) in old age; a woman is never fit for independence. “
in addition, law in India is biased against women rights. An article in a New Delhi’s newspaper clearly show the extreme discrimination that women suffers in India (IPS , Dec 18, 2004) “India, where extreme patriarchal attitudes
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The sources of Hindu Law From thousands of years people living in the Indian subcontinent have been leading their lives by following the guidelines and concepts given in the Vedas. These guidelines have evolved into rules followed by the people and enforced by the rulers and have thus become de facto law. In this modern times, the same laws have been retrofitted to suit present conditions and have ...
prevail, is about to make a giant step towards gender equality by introducing a bill that would give women an equal share in family property. To be introduced in the ongoing session of Parliament, the Hindu (Amendment) Bill 2004 will remove discriminatory provisions in a law enacted in 1956 that ensured that only males inherit ancestral property. “
The IPS news article continues affirming that the women discrimination has its ugliest face in northern India. The article also affirms that ”Discrimination follows women through
life from the womb to the tomb and ultimately affects the development process in the country itself,”
One of the worst types of discrimination against women in Hindu society includes (Wikipedia) “abortion of female fetuses (officially banned in India) and illegal, female infanticide,” in addition,” The gender ratio has also dropped from 97 women for every 100 men in 1921 to 92.7 women for every 100 men in 1991.”
As stated before, different Hindu scriptures Positive have different perspective of women rights. Manuscripts as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, while some texts such as the Manu Smriti advocate a restriction of women’s rights.
The circumstances are slowly changing. Hindu government is making changes to the law to better protect women rights. In addition, the general public is changing its point of view of the position that women has in the family and socially. However, the changes are too slow.
Women in Buddhism
Buddha at first excluded women from monastic life but later changed his mind. His aunt was Buddhism’s first nun. Buddha taught gender equality. The essence of Buddhism dogma is to attain salvation by one’s own effort, this principle relate to both sexes. Consequently, Buddhism teaches the spiritual equality of male and female. The Buddha belief of gender equality resulted on the foundation of the (Wikipedia) Order of Bhikkhunis, the first organization for women nuns. Buddha once said: (Ratnapala)”A woman child, 0 Lord of men, may prove even a better offspring than a male, for she may grow up wise and virtuous, her husband’s mother reverencing, true with the boy that she may bear do great, deeds and rule great realms, yea, such a son or noble wife becomes his country’s guide” (KS I. iii).
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This was said to king Kosala who was apparently disappointed at the news that his queen had given birth to a girl.”
Buddha also said that the maximum spiritual state (nirvana) could be achieved by any gender. Women did not need male support or any additional help to achieve it.
Buddha also stated in (Dewaraja) in “Sigalovada Sutta the duties of a husband and wife:
“In five ways should a wife as Western quarter, be ministered to by her husband: by respect, by courtesy, by faithfulness, by handing over authority to her, by providing her with ornaments. In these five ways does the wife minister to by her husband as the Western quarter, love him: her duties are well-performed by hospitality to kin of both, by faithfulness, by watching over the goods he brings and by skill and industry in discharging all business.”
Buddha’s nuptial principles are equivalent for both parties; the nuptial association is a mutual one with joint rights and duties. As a result, amongst Buddhists, marriage is a agreement among equals.
This was an important innovation from existing ideas of his time. In present time we can easily appreciate the differences between Hinduism and Buddhism countries. For example, in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand, women equal men in every aspect of life. Women from the above cited countries have more rights and better life than women of China, Nepal, and India where Hindu, Confucian and Islamic doctrines prevail. These conclusions are based “mainly on the observations of Europeans who lived in these two countries in various capacities in the 19th and 20th centuries. R. Grant Brown, who was a revenue officer for 28 years in Burma (1889-1917) has remarked, “Every writer on Burma has commented on the remarkable degree of independence attained by the women. Their position is more surprising in view of the subjection and seclusion of wives and daughters in the neighboring countries of India and China…”
A British envoy to the Court of Ava was struck by the equal treatment accorded even to royal ladies. “The queen sat with the king on the throne to receive the embassy. They are referred to as ‘the two sovereign Lords’. It is not extraordinary to the Burmans for with them, generally speaking, women are more nearly upon an equality with the stronger sex than among any other Eastern people of consideration.”
The Essay on Hinduism And Buddhism
HINDUISM AND BUDDHISM Hinduism is among the world religions that has no founder or date of source. Majority of religions obtain new ideas taught by a compelling leader. Hinduism is merely the religion of the people of India, which has slowly urbanized over the years. Its beginning and the authors of its texts are mainly unidentified (History of Hinduism). Meanwhile, Buddhism remains as one of the ...
The common characteristic predominating in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand is that they are Buddhist societies. Consequently, it is appealing to conclude that Buddhism has improved the situation of women in these countries.
Hinduism and Buddhism have many similarities because Buddha’s beliefs roots come from Hinduism. However, both religions have major differences. Even though Hinduism and Buddhism promote family and society values, Hinduism sacrifice women for the benefit of man, while Buddhism has an impartial thought of genders. Both beliefs systems have some fundamentals which would do well to Western societies, although solely Buddhism does not have a negative impact to women.
In conclusion, without a doubt, Buddhism belief system provides a better and easier life to women than Hinduism. Yet, so strong is the ideology of male superiority in Eastern cultures that, even today, in some Buddhist countries the desire of a first born male is so strong to kill or give away a first born daughter to keep looking for a “first” born son.
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The Essay on Worksheet: Buddhism and Basic Buddhist Teachings
1. Explain the basic Buddhist teachings including the three marks of reality, the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path. The basic Buddhist teachings are practical like the Buddha himself. Buddhist taught how to minimize sufferings, and how one could attain inner peace. The three marks of reality associated with the Buddhist are change, no permanent identity, and suffering. Buddha ...
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