Dear Yong Peng and others,

The locus classicus on the women's issue is Vin II, 253 and AN IV 274, re: the ordination of Mahaapajaapatii, the Gotamid. There the Buddha attributes the establishment of the nun's order to the decay of the Dharma. Because of this the Dharma will only last 500 yeras according to the Buddha.

According to Kane (History of Dharma`saastra, Vol 2, Part 2, page 945) women in ancient Aryan society were allowed to become sa.mnyaasins (renunciants, which is what the Buddha was in the context of his ancestral religion), although I don't think it was very orthodox for a woman to do so, but it is not clear whether this was allowed in the fifth century B. C.

Mettaa, Bryan




________________________________
From: Ong Yong Peng <palismith@...>
To: Pali@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, March 4, 2010 6:58:06 AM
Subject: [Pali] Re: Gender bias in Buddhism?


Dear Rahula,

thanks for pointing that out. May I say that the Jains were the only exception? There is some information on Wikipedia on this.

metta,
Yong Peng.

--- In Pali@... com, Ngawang Dorje wrote:

Jains already had Nuns' Order before Buddha.(Padmanabh S. Jaini, Gender and Salvation Jaina Debates on the Spiritual Liberation of Women)





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