Buddhism Gender Equality

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Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development allowing individuals to see the true nature of reality. Meditation and other Buddhist practices are means of changing yourself in order to develop awareness, kindness, and wisdom among other qualities. The basic views of Buddhist teachings are very straightforward in such as nothing is permanent, actions have consequences, and change is possible. Buddhism opens itself to all people no matter what race, nationality, sexuality, or gender. The development of the Buddhist tradition over many centuries has created an incomparable guide for all those who wish to follow a path which ultimately ends in Enlightenment or Buddhahood. From the beginning, however, Buddhism also had the attitude that women are less capable of accessing the spiritual life than men. Buddhists have struggled to overcome this, but it has been made more difficult by the sexist attitudes in countries to which Buddhism has spread. It is because of this gender inequality present in Buddhism that Venerable Tenzin Palmo started working tirelessly towards achieving equality of gender roles as well as trying to transform numerous dimensions of Buddhism particularly in Northern India. …show more content…
At the age of 18 she converted to Buddhism and later travelled to Dalhousie in India to pursue her interest in Tibetan Buddhism. Here she was one of the only women studying in a monastery under the Eighth Khamtrul Rinpoche and was given a full Bhikshuni ordination in 1973. She became the 2nd western woman to be ordained in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition. For 12 years she stayed in a small cave only 10 feet wide, growing her own food and practicing deep meditation based on ancient Buddhist beliefs. When she emerged in 1988, she travelled to Italy teaching the Dharma circuit, taking the cause of equal rights and opportunities for Buddhist