Nichiren's View of Women
In the history of Japanese Buddhism since the medieval period, male priests have preached the doctrine that women, who are deeply sinful, cannot attain Buddhahood unless they are reborn as men. This idea remains firmly fixed in the minds of some priests. Despite the fact that in the Kamakura period...
| Published in: | Japanese journal of religious studies |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Nanzan Institute
[2003]
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| In: |
Japanese journal of religious studies
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| Further subjects: | B
Women
B Gender Equality B Buddhism B Medieval Period B Religious Studies B Priests B Men B Nuns B Wives B Womens rights |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | In the history of Japanese Buddhism since the medieval period, male priests have preached the doctrine that women, who are deeply sinful, cannot attain Buddhahood unless they are reborn as men. This idea remains firmly fixed in the minds of some priests. Despite the fact that in the Kamakura period Nichiren refuted such discriminatory views and taught that women could attain Buddhahood just as they are, there are still some male priests within the contemporary Nichiren-shū priesthood who continue to preach this idea. Taking the passage "women should follow men," which appears in Nichiren's writings and refers to feudalistic morality within the context of the times it was written, these priests appropriate these words for their own purposes, passing them off in their sermons as the Buddhist teachings of Nichiren. The statements and actions of male priests who enforce derogatory views of women symbolize a discriminatory attitude that exists in the contemporary sangha. Female Buddhist practitioners feel that we can change this by shedding light on the reality of the situation and bringing about a revival of the true teaching of the founder. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Japanese journal of religious studies
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