| Summary: | 碩士 === 東海大學 === 中國文學系 === 94 === From Theigatha to view the womanhood in Theravada Buddism
Abstract
The history of human’s thoughts and development could be regarded as a history of men’s development. What we read are men’s viewpoints, men’s values, men’s emotions and men’s necessities; women’s experiences, wisdom, emotions, necessities and difficulties are not only ignored, but even misunderstood and misinterpreted under the circumstances of man-centered popularity and objectiveness. The Buddhist ultimate law of “ Zhong is born to be equal “ and “ Zhong is born with Buddhist essence“ are contrary with the notion of “ woman can not become a Budda due to three karmas, five filths, ten sins, eighty four ugliness and physical woman body. In order to pursue her spiritual inspiration, women join the sangha and still compelled to obey the patriarchy order of superior man with inferior woman -- “eight moral precepts”. Are women the inferior creature? Is woman’s religious potential can not prevail over man in comprehending the practice of Zen and Buddhism?
This thesis, based on feminism as a vision to explain why woman’s religious achievement is inferior to man and based on cultural criticism as a method to depict the reasons why Bhikkhuni has to obey the “eight moral precepts”, intends to unveil the real images of womanhood tenderness, wisdom, emotion, persistence from both the Theigatha in 2500 years ago and contemporary women’s experience in practicing, further to manifest that to become a budda is concerned with the perfection of moral dharmakaya, not the physical body. Hopefully, this thesis can make more people realize the “three karmas” “five filths”, “ten sins” were manipulated by mankind. In the moral traditions, woman is always here leading our awakening, exploring our inner tranquility and ease by her unique mind and wisdom.
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