Although Buddhism emphasizes the equality of all beings in doctrine and has always had the ultimate view of equal women, it has been constrained by society and culture on a practical level.
Under the influence and constraints of ancient Indian religious culture and the caste system, women actually live in this environment of unequal treatment.
Since all religions preach a theory of self-transcendence, which in turn transcends gender opposites, that is, religious experiences transcend gender in order to transcend themselves from the traditions that are trapped.
The same is true of Buddhist teachings, so this article intends to explore the views of men and women from the perspective of India's cultural background and the impact of the caste system. It also discusses the narrative of male and female images and the reasons for differential treatment of men and women from Buddhist texts, and studies the concept of gender between men and women in a more conservative way (the Buddhist view of women is analyzed in Buddhist scriptures).
Finally, from the classics, I will deepen the meaning of "there is no difference between men and women".
The purpose of this study is to reinterpret the spirit of "equality between men and women" in Buddhism, promote the consciousness of the main body of the Buddhist female community, so that they can better face their own shortcomings, enhance their courage and courage to move towards liberation and bodhisattva path, increase the enthusiasm of Buddhist women to participate in Buddhist undertakings and social services, and better promote Buddhism and enlightened life.
As one of the four ancient civilizations, India has created a splendid ancient Indian civilization.
About 2,000 years ago, several ethnic groups lived in India, each developing a matrilineal culture.
India is located on a peninsula in southern Asia, the north, northeast and northwest are all mountains, the rest is surrounded by the sea, and the vast plains south of the mountains have been the economic and cultural development of India since ancient times.
The first people of India are preserved by the Monta-speaking inhabitants, that is, the original Austral-speaking people.
The second is the Drarots, who came to India later than the primitive Australians, a people before the Aryan invasion of India, and they were able to make pottery, grow grain and raise cattle and sheep in the Neolithic period of about the fifth millennium BC.
They are composed of matrilineal tribes scattered in small villages.
This period was a matriarchal society in which men and women divided their labor, "male hunters and female farming".
After the Aryan invasion, they conquered the indigenous people, and gradually, due to changes in living conditions, men took advantage of their physical superiority and took the status of women, and turned to a patrilineal social life.
In order to further understand the status of women in the time of the Buddha, some descriptions can also be seen from the above table or in the texts of other religions.
Ancient India was a religious country, and Hinduism and its predecessor, Brahmanism, as the oldest, most numerous and most widespread religion in India, had a profound impact on all aspects of Indian society.
In Indian society before the establishment of Buddhism, the status of women changed with religious thought, and during the Paleovedic period (BC) women enjoyed a fairly prestigious position in society and were relatively free in their actions.
Women can travel, visit temples, participate in festivals and socialize with men unaccompanied.
Although the Indians of this period also prayed to the gods to bless them with more boys, they were not disappointed by the misfortune of having girls.
Women were also clearly well educated, and educated women were even elevated to the status of saints.
For example, there are two types of female authors in the Vedas: Yaoska and Brahmins with the surname Dini.
Among them, Rumasa Trijuveda, Lou Pa Mutra Rigveda, Swavara Rigveda and Kadra Rigveda are just a few of them.
Wives and husbands had equal status in religious ceremonies, with the exception of unmarried women.
Most of the poems in the Rigveda show the higher status of women, but some reflect signs of a gradual weakening of women's status.
For example, a poem in the eighth episode of the Rigveda, Indra, claims that women are untamed and imbecile.
There is also a poem in the tenth episode of the Rigveda that says that women have hyena-like hearts and cannot maintain lasting relationships with them.
These signs are nothing more than a prelude to the ideas that appear in the Sanskrit book.
The central theme of the Sanskrit book is the intricate details of sacrifice, and it is argued that ordinary people are incapable of adhering to elaborate and rigorous sacrificial rituals, and that only Brahmins are suitable for presiding over the sacraments.
They categorized themselves among the gods of the earth (Hundred Ways of Brahmanism, Thadelia Brahmins of birth - Brahmins born of sages were even considered higher than gods (Hundred Way Brahmans.
Thus the position of Brahmins is strengthened in family sacrifices, while the status of ordinary people in sacrifices is severely weakened, and the status of women is reduced to the bottom.
