Sunday, February 28, 2010

Women and religion - February topic

Our February fellowship meeting hosted the Rev. Gene Reeves who spoke about women in Buddhism. He started with foundational Buddhism and "female monks" who were important in the centuries after the historic Buddha Shakyamuni taught. There were many historic and cultural reasons for continuing discrimination against women both in religious orders and among Buddhist laity. However he pointed out the inclusive and non-discriminatory message of the Lotus Sutra (despite certain passages)--that all can be bodhisattvas of compassion and achieve enlightenment-- within Mahayana teachings.

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