Jetsunma Live

In the comments to the previous post, Sister Sangye perused Amitabha Buddha’s 48 Vows (scroll down, you'll find 'em), and issues an understandable harrumph at #35:

 

“If, when I attain Buddhahood, women in the immeasurable and inconceivable Buddha-lands of the ten quarters who, having heard my Name, rejoice in faith, awaken aspiration for Enlightenment and wish to renounce womanhood, should after death be reborn again as women, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.”

 

Now, my read on this is that in most historic cultures, and even today, it can be exceedingly difficult as a woman to extract oneself from heavy social pressures, onerous traditions, imbalanced laws, physical danger, etc., in order to pursue a renunciate spiritual life. In many cases, it might be an easier road to follow that path as a man, but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s the only road.

 

In fact, when we look into the legends of the female Buddha Arya Tara, we discover that when she was on the cusp of enlightenment, responding to the chauvinism of the male lamas of her time, she made the vow to always appear in female form, in order to debunk concepts of prejudice. I’m sure glad she did.

It was the very experience of hearing my female root teacher, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, teach live that made the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion so meaningful and irresistible to me. I went to hear her in August of 1990, not consciously looking for a teacher, or a spiritual path, at all. In fact, I’d spent most of my life actively hostile to such things. I didn’t even much like the atmosphere of my temple when I first walked in. But – and I still have trouble explaining this, except in terms of strong karmic seeds from previous lifetimes – within ten minutes of her beginning to teach, I was a total goner. Though I didn’t fully understand it, I knew what Jetsunma was saying was the truth, that she was speaking from a place of direct experience of that truth, and that I was about to radically transform my life to accommodate this new reality and this woman I knew would be my teacher for life.

 

It therefore pleases me no end to tell you that you too can have the experience of hearing and seeing Jetsunma teach live, no matter where you are, through the magic of digital technology. Starting this Thursday, June 19, Jetsunma will begin a teaching series called “Turning the Mind to Dharma,” designed especially for those new to Buddhism, or simply curious about it. The class will begin at 6:30pm US Eastern Standard Time (handy time zone converter here), and we will stream the live video at our website here. There’s no cost to watch, and if for some reason you can’t catch it, no worries. We’ll offer a podcast of the whole video very shortly thereafter. I’m gonna tune in. You?

Comments

[Aarlene]

Cool!

[Jae-Min]

I just wanted to further clarify, those who take rebirth in Sukhavati are without gender, so it is saying that all beings are equal and non-dual in physical form, not just excluding the female forms. The same applies when it is said that there are no women in Medicine Buddha's pure land.

[Konchog]

Good point, Jae-Min, that's exactly right. Also appearing there spontaneously, not born through a human body.

[Oliver]

I wouldn't mind hanging out in Amitabha's realm for a while.

;-)

[Konchog]

Well, Oliver, as Jimi Hendrix Rinpoche once famously sang:

"And if I don't meet you no more in this world
Then I'll meet you in the next one
And don't be late, don't be late."

[Leamur]

Pardon me for harrumph-ing at the harrumph, but the vow just says if they don't want to be reborn as women and then they are anyway, he's not finished yet. There's no implied judgment of the status of women or the desirability of being a woman or any of that nonsense.

In a lot of the vows he's saying if there's anything the people want that they don't have, he's not finished yet. Same thing about the women who don't want to be women again.

And thanks to Jae-Min for her astute point.

[Sangye]

The view of women as inferior vessels is pervasive throughout Buddhism. Looking at it in the context of history, it becomes understandable, but remains painful. It does impact the self-esteem and confidence of Tibetan nuns, who live with the inequities much more than we in the West.

And while Jetsunma and our other lamas teach that women can certainly attain Enlightenment, we still follow Buddhist traditions wherein monks are given preferential treatment over nuns-- seated in front, served food first, etc.... For both men and women, it can be used as fuel for practice, to cut the ego. In the end it is all about how one responds internally to the external.

I raised the "harumph" not for myself (I've already made my peace with it--well, mostly!), but for others who might not have any idea what to make of it.

[Jae-Min]

To Leamur: I'm a guy! But those lyrics Konchog mentioned remind me of something that (the previous) Lhatse Tulku said to my lama "If you keep your samaya, do your daily sadhana and perform tsog on the 10th and 25th, then after death, we will, arms linked together, go to Vajrayogini's pure land".

[Leamur]

To Jae-Min: oops. ;)

[Oliver]

Yes, I like Hendrix Rinpoche too. Especially the teaching: "there must be some kinda way outta here"

Is there a purple haze in Amitabha's land?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD7s4i_X-p0&feature=related

[Christian]

I have a question.

Aren't we confusing here an alleged historical person qualifying as a bodhisattva, who uttered these vows, and Amitabha Buddha, an aspect of Awakening (some would say adibuddha)?

Was ever such a bodhisattva? (I am a Westerner, so historical accounts are fine with me.)

At least, I have no doubt of being confused:-)

Also, about the differences between Sukhavati and the Christian paradise: at a psychological level, I think they are the same for millions of people (faith and subsequent long-lasting bliss without falling into the suffering never again).

Bodhicitta is a most difficult and profound quality to develop...

[Christian]

[Sorry for double posting.]

About the pervading misogyny in Buddhism, I found the book of Prof. Bernard Faure, __The Power of Denial__, quite interesting. (The focus is on China and Japan.) The other one on sexuality and Buddhism as well, entitled __The Red Thread__.