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zuotian
OM MANI PADME HUM ~ OM MANI PADME HUM ~ OM MANI PADME HUM
http://www.deviantart.com/art/Avalokitesvara-386310875
So does gender exist purely in societal constructions, or is it independent of our perceptions and rooted in verifiable, biological reality? Will we ever know? Gender forces us to ask these questions.
Perhaps there is a happy medium. A biological basis with infinite combinations of function. Is it so hard to admit mystery and diversity without sacrificing empirical truth? As we create new language for ourselves, our gender, we concurrently discover new related findings in neuroscience and psychology, all pointing to broader parameters of an already established binary.
The answer to the gender question is to disregard limitations and simply be ourselves. In the end, it does not matter where gender comes from or how it operates. What matters is how we respond to it.
Once we can be ourselves, we can tolerate our truth, then accept it, and finally overcome our differences entirely. This is a general Buddhist line of thought. It also summarizes the workings of Cass' identity model, adapted to transgender identity in the study Female-to-Male Transsexuals in Society.
In the Pure Land tradition, Amida and his two bodhisattvas, Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta are all represented as male, female, and other gender variations. Due to their celestial nature, they manifest in a myriad of ways. When we dwell on Amida Buddha, we dwell on all Buddhas, man, woman, nonbinary, or otherwise. Amida's limitless light and compassion represents the whole of the dharmakaya, the whole of life, the whole of gender variation.
In the end, gender is another form of dukkha. Acknowledge dukkha, accept dukkha, release dukkha.
http://www.deviantart.com/art/Avalokitesvara-386310875
What accounts for gender? After breaking down the divide between masculine and feminine over the course of modern times, it seems we are nearing an inquisitorial plateau. As we investigate gender further we near closer to the core of gender itself, its base components and origins.
For some gender is rooted in the man/woman social dichotomy predicated by the biological female/male binary. Once instinctual survival gave way to social behaviors, that biological precedent carried over. Consciousness may be the base of the self, but gender is how we accessorize ourselves to differentiate from others. Gender is one of the most basic social markers. There are only two groups to identify with.
For some gender is rooted in the man/woman social dichotomy predicated by the biological female/male binary. Once instinctual survival gave way to social behaviors, that biological precedent carried over. Consciousness may be the base of the self, but gender is how we accessorize ourselves to differentiate from others. Gender is one of the most basic social markers. There are only two groups to identify with.
In The History of Sexuality, Michel Foucault said that this deterministic mindset was borne of Marxist theory, and unfolded throughout the Victorian era. As the traditional bourgeoisie fell to democracy the individual citizen became actualized; so too did bodily protection and personal freedom. Today, Victorian population surveillance is deteriorating underneath women's rights and LGBT rights.
Some postulate that gender is a performative social construction. While this explanation deconstructs our gendered actions and their origins, it disregards holistic experience over meta-discursive theory. Instead of deconstructing the current gender system to rebuild new perceptions and better responses, gender performative theories merely carousal around the baseless-ness of action and language. Such a school of thought easily errs into post-modernism. With activism more concerned about semantics than lived experience, a new term has formed, "Slacktivism" (jump to 4:00).
Some postulate that gender is a performative social construction. While this explanation deconstructs our gendered actions and their origins, it disregards holistic experience over meta-discursive theory. Instead of deconstructing the current gender system to rebuild new perceptions and better responses, gender performative theories merely carousal around the baseless-ness of action and language. Such a school of thought easily errs into post-modernism. With activism more concerned about semantics than lived experience, a new term has formed, "Slacktivism" (jump to 4:00).
So does gender exist purely in societal constructions, or is it independent of our perceptions and rooted in verifiable, biological reality? Will we ever know? Gender forces us to ask these questions.
Perhaps there is a happy medium. A biological basis with infinite combinations of function. Is it so hard to admit mystery and diversity without sacrificing empirical truth? As we create new language for ourselves, our gender, we concurrently discover new related findings in neuroscience and psychology, all pointing to broader parameters of an already established binary.
The answer to the gender question is to disregard limitations and simply be ourselves. In the end, it does not matter where gender comes from or how it operates. What matters is how we respond to it.
Once we can be ourselves, we can tolerate our truth, then accept it, and finally overcome our differences entirely. This is a general Buddhist line of thought. It also summarizes the workings of Cass' identity model, adapted to transgender identity in the study Female-to-Male Transsexuals in Society.
In the Pure Land tradition, Amida and his two bodhisattvas, Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta are all represented as male, female, and other gender variations. Due to their celestial nature, they manifest in a myriad of ways. When we dwell on Amida Buddha, we dwell on all Buddhas, man, woman, nonbinary, or otherwise. Amida's limitless light and compassion represents the whole of the dharmakaya, the whole of life, the whole of gender variation.
In the end, gender is another form of dukkha. Acknowledge dukkha, accept dukkha, release dukkha.
from the Sannoga Sutra:
"I will teach you a Dhamma discourse on bondage & lack of bondage. Listen & pay close attention. I will speak."
"Yes, lord," the monks responded.
The Blessed One said: "A woman attends inwardly to her feminine faculties, her feminine gestures, her feminine manners, feminine poise, feminine desires, feminine voice, feminine charms. She is excited by that, delighted by that. Being excited & delighted by that, she attends outwardly to masculine faculties, masculine gestures, masculine manners, masculine poise, masculine desires, masculine voices, masculine charms. She is excited by that, delighted by that. Being excited & delighted by that, she wants to be bonded to what is outside her, wants whatever pleasure & happiness that arise based on that bond. Delighting, caught up in her femininity, a woman goes into bondage with reference to men. This is how a woman does not transcend her femininity.
"A man attends inwardly to his masculine faculties, masculine gestures, masculine manners, masculine poise, masculine desires, masculine voice, masculine charms. He is excited by that, delighted by that. Being excited & delighted by that, he attends outwardly to feminine faculties, feminine gestures, feminine manners, feminine poise, feminine desires, feminine voices, feminine charms. He is excited by that, delighted by that. Being excited & delighted by that, he wants to be bonded to what is outside him, wants whatever pleasure & happiness that arise based on that bond. Delighting, caught up in his masculinity, a man goes into bondage with reference to women. This is how a man does not transcend his masculinity.
"And how is there lack of bondage? A woman does not attend inwardly to her feminine faculties... feminine charms. She is not excited by that, not delighted by that... does not attend outwardly to masculine faculties... masculine charms. She is not excited by that, not delighted by that... does not want to be bonded to what is outside her, does not want whatever pleasure & happiness that arise based on that bond. Not delighting, not caught up in her femininity, a woman does not go into bondage with reference to men. This is how a woman transcends her femininity.
"A man does not attend inwardly to his masculine faculties... masculine charms. He is not excited by that, not delighted by that... does not attend outwardly to feminine faculties... feminine charms. He is not excited by that, not delighted by that... does not want to be bonded to what is outside him, does not want whatever pleasure & happiness that arise based on that bond. Not delighting, not caught up in his masculinity, a man does not go into bondage with reference to women. This is how a man transcends his masculinity.
"This is how there is lack of bondage. And this is the Dhamma discourse on bondage & lack of bondage."
