Is Buddha unfair to feminine gender?

I don't think so.

I am a female, a practicing Buddhist for over 14 years. A local teacher, who is a Tibetan monk of over 40 years(with a Geshe degree) from the Dalai Lama's monastery .. since childhood.

Many visiting monks and nuns teaching at our local Dharma Temple.

Many monks and nuns I have known through visiting my sister in Minneapolis, and the various dharma groups there.

Here is the thing:

- Buddha didn't want women to become nuns, because back then his followers lived out in the open, wandered around . there were no protective shelters and a women wandering around by herself was in danger.

- Buddhism grew up in patriarchal societies ... around MOST of the world, societies were patriarchal during these centuries/millennia. It is just that NOW, Asia is slower to catch up to balancing out the rights of women. And Buddhism is slow to catch up.

But it IS caching up.

This is not a matter of Buddha being unfair, nor even of Buddhism being unfair .. it is a matter of almost the entire world being unfair to the feminine gender for millennia.

Traditionally, women have been treated as inferior and not allowed full participation nor positions of power in religious establishments. No female imams, rabbis or priests, for instance .. .nor Lamas.

The Dalai Lama himself has said that his NEXT incarnation MIGHT be as a female. This is unheard of in previous generations. And it gives status to the condition of being female, within the Tibetan Buddhist framework, at least.

Furthermore, there is an old Buddhist saying that women are much better at spiritual growth than men are .. when they apply themselves to it. I do not remember the source nor the exact quote (I have heard it several times, but not latched onto it .. despite being a senior women and growing up with all the restrictions of the 1950's that society put on my personhood ... I don't fight reality nor foster resentment in myself. So I've made no effort to memorize this quote or its source).

But I do have this quote:

"Among the students of the adept Naropa, reportedly two hundred men and one thousand women attained complete enlightenment". (^ Bikkhu, Thanissaro (1993). "The Not-self Strategy". Access to Insight. Retrieved 2009-02-26.)

which indicates ONLY 200 men reaching enlightenment .. but 1000 women doing so. You run across this in the undercurrents of Buddhism. That women make BETTER students than men do.

Yes, unfortunately, the Buddha had to be persuaded to allow women to take the same monastic vows as men. According to the Buddhist scriptures, the Buddha gave women who would be nuns additional duties which keep them in a position of subservience to men.

The Eight Heavy Duties required of nuns:

1. A nun who has been ordained even for a hundred years must greet respectfully, rise up from her seat, salute with joined palms, do proper homage to a monk ordained but that day.

2. A nun must not spend the rains in a residence where there are no monks.

3. Every half month a nun should desire two things from the Order of Monks: the asking as to the date of the Observance [uposatha] day, and the coming for the exhortation (bhikkhunovada).

4. After the rains (3-months rainy season retreat) a nun must 'invite' [ pavarana ] before both orders in respect of three matters, namely what was seen, what was heard, what was suspected.

5) A nun who has broken any of the vows of respect must undergo penance for half a month under both monastic orders (monks and nuns).

6) When, as a probationer, she has trained in the six rules [cha dhamma] for two years, she should seek higher ordination from both orders.

7) A monk must not be abused or reviled in any way by a nun.

8) From today, admonition of monks by nuns is forbidden.

The same duties are not required of monks. The Buddha was wise in some respects, but not in others. It's best to see him as a pioneering philosopher and psychologist rather than an infallible spiritual guide.

1.5 Another Theri Tissa

Tissa! join yourself with Dhamma(path of eternal truth).

See the moment come! Let the moment not pass you by!

for many they who mourn in misery that moment past. (5)

............

Didn't She become free? Didn't She learn freedom?

Yes, yes! They became Arahants, just like all other Arahants. They're all equal in Dhamma, and freed from dukkha.

....

BTW the word eternal is inappropriate usage for Buddhism. Such words are not Buddha's Dhamma.

Yes, but he is thousands of years dead, and those verses can be safely ignored.

He was a religious guy. So, obviously he was no different to all the other religious guys.

Not to my knowledge.

Not as the sexist Christian God

Buddha is dead.