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The Enlightenment of Women
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In many Buddhist sutras it was taught that women could
never become Buddhas. One sutra reads, "Even if the eyes of the Buddhas
of the three existences were to fall to the ground, no woman of any of
the realms of existence could ever attain Buddhahood."
This no doubt reflects the prevailing view of women in
India in the fifth century B.C.E. where they were considered more or less
the property of their husbands. However, it is said that in response to
requests from his aunt and other women, Shakyamuni allowed women to become
nuns and carry out monastic practice after establishing eight rules which
they should follow. According to Indian studies specialist Dr. Hajime
Nakamura, "The appearance [in Buddhism] of an order of nuns was an
astonishing development in world religious history. No such female religious
order existed in Europe, North Africa, West Asia or East Asia at the time.
Buddhism was the first tradition to produce one."
However, in the following centuries, prevailing perceptions
of women began to reassert themselves, and it was commonly believed that
women would have to be reborn as men and carry out endless painful practices
before being able to attain Buddhahood. The bhikshuni sangha, or order
of Buddhist nuns, declined and nearly disappeared.
 Nichiren,
the 13th-century Buddhist monk whose teachings SGI members follow, was
a firm believer in the equality of men and women. He wrote, "There
should be no discrimination among those who propagate the five characters
of Myoho-renge-kyo in the Latter Day of the Law, be they men or women."
This was a revolutionary statement for his time, when women were almost
totally dependent on men. The "three obediences" dictated that
a Japanese woman should first obey her parents; then she should obey her
husband; and finally, in old age, she should obey her son.
Nichiren sent letters of encouragement to many of his
female followers and gave several the title of "Shonin," or
saint. The strength of faith and independence of spirit shown by these
women impressed him deeply. To Nichimyo Shonin, he wrote: "Never
have I heard of a woman who journeyed a thousand ri in search of Buddhism
as you did. . . . you are undoubtedly the foremost votary of the Lotus
Sutra among the women of Japan."
In the 12th or "Devadatta" chapter of the version
of the Lotus Sutra cited by Nichiren, Shakyamuni demonstrates that Buddhahood
is within reach "even" for women. It is revealed that an eight-year-old
female dragon has been able to attain Buddhahood quickly by practicing
the Lotus Sutra.
This girl, often known as the dragon king’s daughter,
appears and dramatically demonstrates her attainment of Buddhahood, illustrating
the principle of becoming a Buddha in one’s present form. She overturns
the prevailing belief that enlightenment could only be attained after
carrying out painful practices over an extremely long period of time.
The dragon girl has the form of an animal; she is female; and she is very
young. That she should be the very first to demonstrate the immediate
attainment of Buddhahood is striking, even shocking.
Nichiren stresses, ". . . among the teachings of
the Lotus Sutra, that of women attaining Buddhahood is foremost."
And, in another letter, he writes, "When I, Nichiren, read the sutras
other than the Lotus Sutra, I have not the slightest wish to become a
woman. One sutra condemns women as emissaries of hell. Another describes
them as large snakes. . . . Only in the Lotus Sutra do we read that a
woman who embraces this sutra not only excels all other women but surpasses
all men." Nichiren vowed to share the Lotus Sutra’s hopeful
message with all the women of Japan.
Buddhism views distinctions of gender, race and age as
differences which exist in order to enrich our individual experience and
human society as a whole. The Lotus Sutra is sometimes called the teaching
of nondiscrimination, because it reveals that the state of Buddhahood
is inherent in all phenomena. There is no difference between men and women
in terms of their capacity to attain Buddhahood, as both are equally manifestations
of the ultimate reality. If we consider the eternity of life, it is also
clear that we may be born as a man in one life, and as a woman in another.
SGI President Daisaku Ikeda states, "The important
thing is that both women and men become happy as human beings. Becoming
happy is the objective; everything else is a means. The fundamental point
of the ‘declaration of women’s rights’ arising from the
Lotus Sutra is that each person has the innate potential and the right
to realize a state of life of the greatest happiness."
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