en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1354693 Comments by SrGryphon http://shambhalasun.com/sunspace/the-time-has-come-share-your-views-on-the-second-class-status-of-buddhist-nuns/#IDComment83491030 Dear Dee, As a women, I left Catholicism because of it's attitudes towards women, only to be shocked that gender inequality was to be found, not just in Buddhism, but even in American Buddhism! So, I can understand your reluctance to become a Buddhist. But thank heavens for impermanence! Trungpa Rinpoche was hopeful that the one thing America can offer Buddhism is a fresh start- free from those deeply ingrained cultural biases. At his urging, therefore, my teacher started a new lineage. This lineage is not Tibetan, not Japanese, not Thai. It intertwines all of the Buddhist teachings of various lineages freely and leaves out the cultural baggage of race, gender, and such. We call it Celtic Buddhism and it is our attempt to breathe new life and honesty into a religion that has become bogged down by politics and male dominated hierarchies. As the anamchara and abbess of Glen Ard Abbey, I am constantly hearing stories from women about their discrimination in even the most modern of Buddhist training centers. And, having trained as a monk for 8 years in an American Japanese Zen monastery, I also have experienced these biases personally and striven, often unsuccessfully, to make a change. But change will be slow in places where there is a male dominated hierarchy. And change will be quick when women step up to the plate and start their own Buddhist monasteries and Lineages. But, things WILL change! I am confident that Trungpa Rinpoche was right in hoping that America would renew, refresh and help Buddhism continue to evolve for the better. But he said it could only happen when Buddhism broke free of outdated cultural attitudes and became American Buddhism- not Tibetan Buddhism, Japanese Zen, Chan, Thai or etc. There are many ways we all can manifest this dream. I applaud everyone who is striving in their own way to bring Buddhism into the 21st century and make it a practice for everyone, regardless of gender, race, sexual preference, and etc. This was a great Buddhadharma article. My heartfelt thanks to everyone involved and to Buddhadharma for publishing it!! Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:36:48 +0000 http://shambhalasun.com/sunspace/the-time-has-come-share-your-views-on-the-second-class-status-of-buddhist-nuns/#IDComment83491030