Dear Nina,

thank you. This explanation in the Abhidhamma first establishes the male gender to be superior. Through observation in nature, we can see advantages of the male sex anatomically and culturally. For example, it is obvious to see how strongly dependent on man (father, husband and son) a woman is in certain cultures. And then it explains that kamma (karma) determines if a person is born into the "superior" or "inferior" sex.

Without first acknowledging one gender to be better than the other, the theory of kamma won't work. This is how I see it, in the Buddhist context to explain things using cause and effect, but not to explain "away" things so that we can turn a blind eye on suffering.

So, this explanation in the Abhidhamma should not in anyway prevent any effort for creating favourable conditions for gender equality in our modern society. Neither should we use it as an excuse to bring further suffering to women.

metta,
Yong Peng.

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Nina van Gorkom wrote:

In the Co. to the first book of the Abhidhamma, the Expositor (Atthasaalinii), II, Ch 3, Derived Material Qualities, 322, we read:
<Of the two, the masculine sex is superior, the feminine is inferior. Therefore the former disappears through grossly immoral conduct; the latter may be brought about by weak immorality. But in disappearing, the latter does so by weak immorality, the former may be brought about by strong morality. Thus both disappear through immorality and may be brought about by morality.>
Kamma produces the ruupas that are sex, bhava ruupa. It is due to kamma whether one is born a male or a female. Rebirth-consciousness as a woman is vipaakacitta that is weaker than rebirth-consciousness as a man. This is clear. It is a fact that a woman does not obtain so easily a position of honour in society.
When a bodhisatta is born in his last life where he will be a Buddha, his rebirth-consciousness cannot be a weaker vipaakacitta. We read in the Cariyapi.taka that one of the requirements for Buddhahood is birth as a male. We read in the Anguttara Nikaaya, Book of the Ones, I, 27: <It is impossible, monks, it cannot come to pass, that a woman should be an arahat who is a Fully Enlightened One.>