Some Glimpses of the Gender Debate within the Buddhist Philosophy in the Twentieth Century

Gender issues occupy the central position in every major religious philosophy of the world. Be it Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism or Islam, every religion has a unique stand about women. The article traces the origin and progress of the emerging gender debate within Buddhism in the first and second half of twentieth century. By analyzing the works of some crucial feminist scholars of the twentieth century, the article makes an attempt to reveal the changing mindsets of the academicians and social scientists about the subject. Though initial feminist scholars tended to reflect a rather conservative and institutional opinion on the issue of position of women within Buddhism, the later scholars have tended to stray away from them. They have demystified Buddhist philosophical discourse and exposed elements of misogyny within ancient Buddhist religious orders. Their researches have helped us significantly in answering our queries about the position of nuns within Buddhist religious order and have also added a new chapter in the age old gender debate within the issue. The works of these new scholars should be viewed in perspective of the women’s movement that started to gather momentum in the second half of the twentieth century.