92 BUDDHADHARMA: THE PRACTITIONER'S QUARTERLY
Some critics of the international Buddhist women’s movement
have dismissed gender equality as an imposition of Western val-
ues on age-old Buddhist societies and argue that feminism doesn’t
accord with Buddhist values. Karma Lekshe has encountered many
Buddhists nuns who were told by their teachers that bhikshuni ordi-
nation was unnecessary and that Buddhists shouldn’t be concerned
with social status. “But being ordained has nothing to do with status
or getting some special privilege,” says Karma Lekshe. “We take
bhikshuni ordination because it signifies a full-time commitment to
Buddhist study and practice. If receiving full ordination is regarded
as praiseworthy for men, why should it be considered self-cherishing
or arrogant for women?”
Historically, Buddhist tradition itself seems conflicted about
whether or not it is desirable to have female renunciates in the
sangha. According to early scriptures, the Buddha agreed to establish
a bhikshuni order only reluctantly, at the urging of Ananda; Ananda
advocated on behalf of the Buddha’s aunt, Mahaprajapati Gotami,
who was eager to become a nun. At the time, the Buddha confirmed
that women are indeed as capable as men of attaining liberation. But
according to the story, when he finally ordained his aunt, he warned
that establishing a bhikshuni order would shorten the lifespan of
the dharma in the world. The Buddha is also said to have imposed
“eight heavy rules” (garudhamma) for Mahaprajapati, which have
been used to subordinate nuns to monks. Among other things, these
rules stipulate that nuns cannot admonish monks and that even the
most senior bhikshuni must always bow to the most junior bhikshu.
It is difficult to change attitudes that for centuries have been
rooted in practices and structures that favor male authority, espe-
cially if this sexism is enshrined in scripture. In this, of course, Bud-
dhists are not alone. “In no religious tradition that I know of did
women have equal status to men,” says Karma Lekshe, who is in
close contact with feminists from other religious traditions, including
Catholic nuns, orthodox Jewish women, Muslim women, Hindus,
and others.