[Popular Buddhism] Why does Buddhism "prefer boys to girls"?

1. The first strange phenomenon (time: late autumn of 2006) "... Oh, Xiao Mo is talking about two monks in Xiatianzhu. "Master Zhikong explained to another master that this master is from other places, and I don't know where the master of Fajing Temple is from. "Two monks?" I'm a little confused. Figure 1: female laymen who sincerely worship Buddha. These aunts usually support the Eight Respect Laws more. "Yes-oh, you don't know." Master Zhikong blushed and smiled. "Generally, we call monks' Second Monks' and monks' Big Monks' ..." "Why! ! ! "I feel a little sick. Why is Master Bhikuni the second? Why do we have to arrange seats? "This ... is a bit complicated. Anyway, that's what we usually call it ... "Master Zhikong scratched his head. "Besides, some of them have to bow to us ..." "Huh? ! Why? ! Is there such a rule? " "... oh, there are rules, but we-""there are such rules! It doesn't make sense! ! "I interrupted Master Zhikong angrily. A little goodwill just established for Buddhist scriptures collapsed. Call home at night and report my recent work to my mother as usual. "I said ..." At the end of the report, my mother suddenly hesitated. " ... then ... clap your hands and become a monk! "Good dizzy! What's mom thinking? "Your family put ten thousand heart! Do I become a monk like a savage? And-"I'm beginning to feel indignant,"-I just learned recently that Buddhism actually values boys over girls! " "Amitabha, don't talk nonsense!" My mother is a devout Buddhist. When I said that Buddhism was not good here or there, she was anxious. Fortunately, my parents didn't believe in Buddhism until I left home. Otherwise, how much control I have at home! "How to blather? I can have proof! Big monk and second monk, look at this name, it's still ranked first! Also, what is stipulated in the Eight Worship Law? A 100-year-old monk saluted the young monk who was ordained only after meeting him. What is this? " "You don't understand. The Eight Respect Laws are stipulated by the Buddha. " "Buddha? What happened to Buddha? It is because Sakyamuni Buddha himself prefers boys to girls that this rule is made! " The more I talk about it, the angrier I get. After I told Master Zhikong about this last time, I checked some related information myself. The more I read, the more I can't figure it out. "Mom, you don't know that Sakyamuni Buddha wanted to become a monk, but he didn't even give it to her! He was brought up with menstruation! Thank disciple Ananda for his intercession. Also, it is totally unfounded and unreasonable to say that letting women become monks, the' Buddhism' will be destroyed 500 years earlier! Their commandments, the monk's commandments have 250, and the monk's commandments have 348! ..... ""Amitabha, sin! Don't slander Buddha! You! -only know one, don't know the other! Read more books yourself, I won't tell you! " Click! Mom was very angry and hung up on me! How depressing! Mom is a woman herself. How can she be indifferent to this unfair phenomenon in Buddhism? 2. Asking around is full of doubts (time: winter 2006). I decided to write on my blog about "son preference" in Buddhism. But after thinking about it, it's better to know more before writing. Maybe there are different views on this issue in Buddhism? Although it's annoying, I can't define something I don't know much about based on my own guess and limited scope of understanding. In the following days, whenever I had the chance, I asked the masters and some laymen I could contact about this "son preference" problem. The following are some statements (in quotation marks) and my own thoughts I heard at that time. "Buddhism says that all beings are equal. There is no doubt about it. Don't talk about men and women, it's a moth to the fire. The Buddha nature contained in life is equal to us. As for the Eight Respect Law, its formulation actually has its historical background. First of all, the Buddha's era was an era when men were superior to women, so when the Buddha formulated the precepts, he must adapt to the social atmosphere at that time, otherwise the monks would be regarded as different and even ridiculed by the society; Moreover, most of the first women who became monks were royal ladies. In order to prevent them from being arrogant and rude to the monks of the lower class who had previously become monks, the Buddha specially formulated the Eight Respect Laws to convince them of their arrogance. " Well, I can understand that the emergence of the Eight Respect Laws was limited by the social background at that time. But now times have changed. What we made before should keep pace with the times? Fig. 2: Endless "troubles" vs. cool dome heart "There is one in the Eight Worship Law:' Do not live in the same place as a monk for summer residence, nor live far away from the monk's residence for summer residence'. Because women are not as strong as men and have to bear the responsibility of bearing children, they have to rely on men in many ways. Therefore, the Eight Respect Laws are actually love for women. " I can understand and support this. But this only shows that this article is reasonable. Where are the others? Is it because women who are physically inferior to men must worship men? Will Hercules be invited to give a lecture every half a month? Physical strength is directly proportional to virtue? I don't think it will be like this. "... can't help it. This was formulated by the Buddha and must be observed. "I don't accept this statement. Isn't it just blind obedience? "Women have delicate minds and many troubles, so they should make more commandments to ask them. This is for their own good. You see, as far as women are born to love beauty, they have more troubles than men. " -I'm dizzy! Men don't love beauty? I think men's perfume sells well, too! Also, there are narrow-minded men. Besides, to take a step back, even if women are relatively "petty", boasting and annoying ... I can understand that there are many commandments, but I still think the Eight Respect Laws are not reasonable and make monks inferior. It's like asking students with poor talent and initiative to be considerate in school, which is a bit too much, but asking these students to bow down in front of smart students is a bit too much. Besides, women are meticulous and careful, and these advantages have been ignored? "The men and women we incarnate in this life are all caused by karma in previous lives. If you practiced well in your last life, you will get a male body; To make matters worse, it is a female body; To make matters worse, I fell into the other six lanes. Why do you say that? Relatively speaking, women are physically weaker, have more ideological troubles, and have to bear more social responsibilities in childbirth and housework. In short, they work harder than men, which just proves that the blessing of joining women is slightly worse. " -I can't completely believe or completely deny the reincarnation of Buddhism. However, we assume that there is reincarnation. Buddhists say there are good and bad things about being a woman in this life, and I can quite understand it. According to the physical, psychological and social environment, we have to admit that it is more difficult for women to walk in rivers and lakes than men. If nothing else, just talk about me. It always feels unsafe to take pictures in the mountains with a camera on your back. Many times, I always pretend to be a strong man when shooting on location alone. But, on the other hand, what is the connection between good news and the Eight Respect Laws? Is it necessary for people who report good things to pay tribute to those who report good things? It is also a good reward for a person to be beautiful and rich. Then, from this inference, isn't it that an ugly person must bow to a beautiful person? The poor must bow to the rich? That doesn't make sense, does it Figure 3: Young women who don't believe in Buddhism especially can't understand the phenomenon of "men are superior to women" in Buddhism. "In fact, we (monks) never asked monks to bow to us. Commandments are used to regulate your own behavior, not to ask others. Moreover, the Buddha once said,' Small precepts are forbidden'. If it is not the fundamental commandment of killing prostitutes, stealing and drinking, then other minor commandments can be chosen according to the actual situation. There's no need to be so entangled. There used to be a monk Gao De who taught us Buddhist monks! However, she sat on the side and gave us lessons, which only made us respect her more. " -The monks don't ask about the Eight Respect Laws of the monks, which is actually quite respectable. ..... However, how to implement a commandment is completely different from why this commandment exists and its practical significance. The fact that Master Bhikkhu will not ask Master Bhikuni to bow does not mean that the current existence of the Eight Respect Laws is reasonable. ..... Lingyin masters (such as Master Yi, Master Xiu Shan, Master Fa Yong, etc. ) told me a lot, and some lay men and women talked to me about this problem. I really appreciate them taking the trouble to answer my constant questions. Got something. At least I won't blow up as soon as I hear this, as I did in the first place. Now I will also consider the background of the so-called "men are superior to women" phenomenon in Buddhism. But I have to say that although I can agree with some of Master's statements, fundamentally, none of them can completely convince me. Even, I have a feeling of "mourning her misfortune and angering her" for a female layman who agrees with the Eight Respect Laws, and feel that I really can't understand her. 3. The two attitudes are puzzling (time: spring of 2007), and there has been no text about "men are superior to women". Because, although my idea has not changed, I want to think more and decide to listen more and see more. Before the Spring Festival, I accidentally found a lecture entitled "The Development of Buddhist Monks" on the Internet. The author was a famous Buddhist sage and a master of the Foguang Mountain nebula in Taiwan Province Province. At first glance, be elated! As a Buddhist monk, Master Xingyun has been committed to improving the status of women in Buddhism and has made many achievements. "On the issue of respecting the eight laws of monks, the Buddhist community should really not be impulsive, but should be calm and give monks and monks an equal position ..." Master Xing Yun's appeal in the paper made me very happy. This is the first monk I have seen who clearly advocates the equality between men and women in Buddhism since I paid attention to this matter. Besides, he is such a great virtue. After that, I read some information about Master Bhikuni's request to abolish the Eight Respect Laws in modern Taiwan Province Province. Advocates are all women who are proficient in Buddhism and have achieved fruitful results in spreading Buddhism. Figure 4: Master Bhikuni of Taiwan Province Province visited the temple, and his words and deeds were modest and polite. Naturally, when I saw the news above, I was all smiles. But at the same time, I also saw on the Internet that the monks in some monasteries in Northeast China almost strictly abide by the Eight Respect Laws. I was deeply impressed that when I put through the phone of Master Bhikkhu, Master Bhikuni, as the master in charge, had to ask and salute the phone before speaking. I still don't understand. They are all great virtues. Some people advocate gender equality to keep up with the times, while others follow the Eight Respect Laws and never slack off ... I met a monk who went to Tianzhu in Jingci Temple that day, and I watched her salute a little monk, so I got together to "climb" with her, prepared for a long time, and finally brought the topic to the Eight Respect Laws. "... I think Foguang Mountain in Taiwan Province Province is very good, and men and women are equal. What do you think of the Eight Respect Laws? "I asked hesitantly. "The Eight Respect Laws were formulated by the Buddha, and we should follow the teachings of the Buddha." Master Hai Ren lowered his eyes and said simply. As soon as I heard it, my heart was cold and cold! God, are there too few monks in Chinese mainland (it is said that three quarters of monks in Taiwan Province Province are women)? Why didn't they resist? ..... Or is the "Eight Respect Laws" really reasonable? ..... But, how could I not see it? 4. Empathy, "False Epiphany" (time: early summer of 2007) I almost gave up writing this proposition because I really didn't understand it. I can't figure out why the teachings of Buddhism seem so harmonious, while the commandments of the Eight Respect Laws are so weird. Besides, why do women admire this commandment so much? Due to the busy shooting and photo processing, this problem was quickly forgotten by me. In my spare time, most of my energy is focused on new points of interest: I began to read those "causal reincarnation" materials with great interest. Although I have been educated by materialism since I was a child, I still can't fully believe these things, but it's no harm to read them as fantasy stories. Besides, if you kick away what you don't know, life will be less fun. * _ * However, the brain suddenly opened wide, which is actually the day when I gave up thinking about this problem! I just read the data of a causal cycle that day, and I didn't know how to turn my head. I thought of the problem of "preference for boys" that has been bothering me. Suddenly, I found that from another angle, my thinking was completely unimpeded! I realized that I had never understood this problem before, and I couldn't understand the support or opposition of many monks and laymen, mainly because I never believed in Buddhism. Not believing in Buddhism is mainly because I can't understand and believe in the causal cycle at present, which is also the focus of the problem of "men are superior to women" If we look at this problem from another angle and believe in the causal cycle, everything will be easy to understand: according to the current social environment and the physiological differences between the two sexes, it will indeed be relatively hard to be a female group. Therefore, Buddhism believes that people who practice well have great blessings, will be reincarnated as human beings, and eat less; People who practice poorly have less blessings and become women, so they have to suffer more. Why do you want to vote for a relatively weak female body in this life? That's because I haven't practiced well enough in my life. People who are not good at practicing will naturally feel infinite shame in the face of those who are good at practicing and becoming men. Respect others because they have infinite shame; Respecting others is actually a good respect for others' previous lifelong practice, and they are willing to learn from others. Just like a person with excellent practice becomes a Buddha, so no matter men or women, everyone will have great respect for Buddha and Bodhisattva. A careful look at the Eight Respect Laws actually requires monks to respect monks with the courtesy of teachers. Although it has its specific social and historical environment, as far as the causal theory of Buddhism is concerned, it is actually a process for the "latecomers" on the road of practice to learn from "high flyers" because of shame. I respect you, not because you are a man, stronger than me, taller than me, have an Adam's apple, and are more decisive in doing things, nor because the "principal" (Sakyamuni Buddha) requires me to do so, but because I am ashamed that my previous practice is not as good as yours, so now I will respect you and learn more from you. Maybe you became a monk later than me, younger than me, and even just learned to read "Amitabha". It doesn't matter, because I respect you not in this world, but in the past. However, if the monk asked him to bow down or something, it would be arrogant and slow. Buddhism says that "all appearances are illusory", and the appearances of men and women that we can see now are actually illusory. If nothing else, at least from the perspective of causal reincarnation, men and women are just the appearance of the results after repeated practice. If you practice well, you may be a man in your next life; Even better, it may directly become an arhat, a bodhisattva or even a Buddha, regardless of gender. The essence of the Eight Respect Laws is to cultivate the sense of shame and diligence of practitioners. Of course, the premise of thinking in this way is to identify with causal reincarnation. Figure 5: "Everything is illusory." Obviously, it can be seen that the height of time and space where the Eight Respect Laws stand is "tired robbery" and is not limited to the reincarnation of "this world". So, because of this, it is difficult for people who don't believe in causality to understand. As for me, as a layman, I won't believe in causal reincarnation, nor will I say that I don't believe it at all. So, from another angle, if I believe in the cycle of cause and effect, I can understand the so-called "men are superior to women" and "eight respects" in Buddhism. But from a purely materialistic point of view, I'm sure I'll make a hullabaloo about for a long time. 5. The truth has finally come out-although the stone is still a little strange (time: today), Xiao Mo, an amateur photographer, has never spent so much time thinking about a problem except for making money all the year round, and it is still a Buddhist problem! This time is really unprecedented! However, I'm glad I finally figured something out. As far as I know, the so-called "son preference" phenomenon in Buddhism mainly depends on where we stand. If we judge this phenomenon by the materialism we learned from primary school, it is difficult to agree; If you believe in cause and effect, there should be no obstacles in understanding: because "poor students" are shameful, because "poor students" should learn from "good students"! As for how to implement it, that is another matter. Personal practice methods are different, some people are very strict, and some people advocate that it is understandable not to stick to the form. So the problem itself is no longer a problem, and the final focus actually comes down to whether or not to believe in causal reincarnation. Oh! This is another problem, (moreover, it should be said that it is a very important one. But unfortunately, I can't confirm or overthrow the theory of causal reincarnation at present. This is my research result on the phenomenon of "son preference" in Buddhism for half a year. A little sweaty, but this is the result of serious consideration. Moreover, it is precisely because of this kind of thinking that I will not fly into a rage at least once when I encounter the matter of "men are superior to women." Of course, I certainly won't respect without doubt at present-unless someone proves to me that causal reincarnation does exist. Perhaps, after a long time, I will have a new understanding? Appendix: What is the "Eight Respect Laws"? Also known as the Eight-Respect Method, the Eight-Don't-Pass Method and the Eight-Don't-Pass Method. , referred to as the Eight Respect Laws for short, because they all stipulate Nigerians' respect and respect for monks, so later people are called the Eight Respect Laws. First of all, Centennial Nepal should be appointed at the beginning of the ceremony. Second, don't scold or slander monks. 3. A bhikkhu cannot lift a bhikkhu, but a bhikkhu must lift a bhikkhu. 4. A monk has enough precepts and must be accepted by two monks (this law was formulated before the monk, and then the monk was asked to give it precepts). 5. The monk's disability crime committed by a monk should be carried out during the second monk's confession. Six, every half a month must find a monk to teach precepts. Seven, different monks live in the same place to settle in the summer, and it is not allowed to settle in a place far away from the monk's residence (for convenience). Eight, to live a satisfactory life, it is necessary to ask the monks to make three kinds of self-nature (exemption from sin), so that the monks can see, smell and suspect offense. Related links: Master Bhikuni's experience in practicing the Eight Respect Laws in Mainland China during the "Abolishing Eight Respect Laws" movement in Taiwan Province Province; Solemnly declare: all the pictures and texts (especially the pictures of monks' portraits) in the papers "The Development of Buddhist Monks in Bichuni" and "Seeing Buddhists in Ordinary People-Notes on Buddhism in the South of the Yangtze River" written by the great Buddhist master in Taiwan are not allowed to be reproduced, especially for commercial purposes, without the authorization of the author and the picture characters themselves. Considering the problems of composition aesthetics and readers' visual experience, all the pictures are not watermarked, which may be convenient for sneak shots. So please ask a friend to supervise. If you find someone stealing or even maliciously modifying the pictures and texts, please leave a message and tell me in time. The ends of the earth, willing to be autumn chrysanthemum. 2. Most of the names in the text are pseudonyms. * _ * 3. The buildings in Jiangnan are not Buddhists. Due to limited knowledge, there may be many fallacies in the description of words and pictures. Please leave a message and point out that I will correct it in time. In addition, if you have any good comments and suggestions about shooting, please leave a message, and I will constantly improve the shooting plan according to the situation. Thank you!