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Buddha as the Greatest Social Reforme - Ven. Thera Piyadassi

The Buddha figured in a stupendous role as a social reformer and a cultural revolutionary. Predominant among the changes he wrought upon the fabric of human society of his day were the annihilation of the pernicious caste system and the emancipation of women.

For ages before the advent of the Buddha, Brahmin hegemony which held the whole of India in its iron clasp, had reduced woman to a position of menial or a chattel. She had no rights of her own, no freedom to speak of, but was confined to the four walls of her home and was thought unfit for anything higher than that of being a domestic servant to her husband, her father or brother. She was never regarded as the equal of man in society.

Submissive, obedience to her husband, the execution of his command, the implementation of his wishes alone sufficed without anything more to qualify a wife to enter the portals of heaven.

Society at that time was so constituted that the birth of a daughter was considered a misfortune – nay, something more – a disaster. Not only the common people but even kings were not immune from this narrow and erratic outlook. The story goes that on one occasion when King of Kosala was having a conversation with the Buddha as was his normal custom, the news was brought to him that his queen and chief consort, Mallika, had given birth to a daughter. At this the king was distraught, his face fell and his countenance became disconsolate and grief stricken. Noticing this the Enlightened One remarked:

"Do not be perturbed, O, King,

A female child may prove even a better offspring than a male, For she may grow up to be wise and virtuous, Revering her husband’s mother and be a faithful wife. The boy that she may bear may do great deeds and rule great realms, Yea, such a son of noble wife becomes his country’s guide."

Enlightenment for men and women

In Buddhism differences in sex constitute no impediment to the attainment of the highest perfection. Referring to the Noble Eightfold Path the Buddha compares it to a chariot and observes:

"And be it a woman, be it a man for whom such chariot does wait,

But that same car into Nibbana’s presence shall they come."

According to the Buddha, all progress and achievement, both mundane and supramundane, are within the reach of woman leading a household life and following the domestic vocations, provided she obeys the injunction of the Buddha.

Virtues that would conduce towards the well-being of woman both in this world and in the next have been promulgated by the Buddha as follows:

Religious devotion

A sense of moral shame and moral fear

Not disposed towards malice and animosity and anger

Not jealous

Not niggardly but large-hearted

Pure in conduct

Virtuous and moral

Learned and steeped in knowledge

Ardent and zealous

Mentally alert and nimble

Wise and sagacious

A woman possessed of these attributes is on the sure road to peace and happiness.

The fact that the Buddha understood the potentiality of women and their capacity for achieving sublime heights of greatness did not blind him to the failings and frailties inherent in the feminine character and which were so peculiar to her sex. He was able to admonish both, men and women, to be on their guard against such infirmities and weaknesses. Speaking of women the Buddha says: "The tendency to loose and immoral character is the great bane of womankind". But that does not mean they are doomed. It means that only a higher degree of vigilance and exertion is necessary on their part in their struggle for the higher life. The Buddha points out the weakness and shortcomings of women not with the intention of deriding and mocking them as inferior creatures but with the noble aim of showing them the difficulties that beset and encumber their efforts to achieve the goal.

The primary concern of the Buddha was the moral and spiritual regeneration of all man and womankind, to emancipate them from the bonds of never-ending samsaric existence and make them enter the eternal bliss of Nibbana.

Wise women

It was because the Buddha was confident that women had the capacity and competence to scale the highest summits in human progress that he acceded to the importunate entreaties of his foster mother Pajapati Gotami and established the Order of Nuns (the Bhikkhuni Sasana). In doing so the Buddha, for the first time in the religious history of humanity, accorded to women a place of the utmost importance.

When the Venerable Ananda was seeking the creation of the Bhikkhuni Order, one of the questions that he asked the Buddha was: "Lord, are women, after going forth from the house life into homelessness, in the Dhamma and Discipline declared by the Perfected One, capable of realizing the fruit of stream-entry, of once-returner, of non-returner, of Arahatship?" The Buddha replied: "They are, Ananda."

There were many female Arahat disciples of the Buddha who were remarked as outstanding in one field or the other and highly praised by the Master. One of these Bhikkhunis, Dhammadinna. Theri, was the foremost Bhikkhuni in her depth of understanding the teachings of the Buddha.

Dhammadinna Theri – Foremost Teacher of the Dhamma

Dhammadinna had been married to the wealthy Visakha, who had not only become a follower of the Buddha, but had become an anagami, the third of the four stages of enlightenment. Because he realized the truth of Dhamma, he wanted to share his knowledge with his beloved wife. Therefore he encouraged her to be ordained as a Bhikkhuni. After a very short time practicing meditation in seclusion, Dhammadinna returned to Rajagaha. There her former husband, Visakha, questioned her about her Dhamma wisdom:

"Venerable One, `personality, personality’ (sakkayo) is said, what is called personality by the Blessed One?"

"Friend Vesakha, these five aggregates affected by clinging are called personality by the Blessed One, that is the form aggregate affected by clinging, the feeling aggregate affected by clinging, the perception aggregate affected by clinging, the perception aggregate affected by clinging, the mental formations aggregate affected by clinging, and the consciousness aggregate affected by clinging are called personality by the Blessed One."

"Venerable One, `cessation of personality, cessation of personality’ it is said. What is called cessation of personality by the Blessed One?"

"Friend Visakha, it is the remainderless fading away and ceasing, the giving up, relinquishing, letting go and rejecting of that same craving. This is called the cessation of personality by the Blessed One."

"Venerable One, `the way leading to the cessation of personality, the way leading to the cessation of personality’ it is said. What is called the way leading to the cessation of personality by the Blessed One?"

"Friend Visakha, it is just this Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration."

Visakha continued to ask questions concerning clinging, how the personality view comes to be, whether the Noble Eightfold Path is conditioned or unconditioned, about the three aggregates, questions on concentration, on formations, on the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, on the kinds of feeling, on underlying tendencies. Then Visakha proceeded to matters relating to the Arahatta magga, which he had not attained himself but about which he had merely hearsay knowledge. Dhammadinna knew that Visakha could properly ask about the matters pertaining to the Anagami phala, and that he had exceeded his range of knowledge when he asked:

"Venerable One, what is the counterpart of Nibbana?"

"Friend Visakha, you have pushed this line of questioning too far; you cannot find a conclusion to this line of questioning. For the holy life, friend Visakha, merges in Nibbana, culminates in Nibbana, ends in Nibbana. If you wish, friend Visakha, go to the Blessed One and ask him about the meaning of this. As the Blessed One explains it to you, so should you remember it."

Then the lay follower Visakha, having delighted and rejoiced in the Bhikkhuni Dhammadinna’s words, rose from his seat and after paying homage to her, keeping her on his right, he went to the Blessed One. After paying homage to him, he sat down at one side and told the Blessed One his entire conversation with the Bhikkhuni Dhammadinna. When he finished speaking, the Buddha told him;

"Bhikkhuni Dhammadinna is free from all forms of Craving either for the past, or the future or the present khandha aggregates.

He who does not cling to the aggregates that are past, future, or present, who is free from moral intoxicants and attachment, such a person I call a Brahmin.

Dhammapada 421

The Bhikkhuni Dhammadinna is wise, Visakha, the Bhikkhuni Dhammadinna has great understanding. If you had asked me the meaning of this, I would have answered you in the same way as the Bhikkhuni Dhammadinna has answered you. Such is the meaning of this and so should you remember it."

On another occasion when the Buddha was staying at the Jetavana Monastery in Savatthi, and conferred titles to distinguished Bhikkhuni’s he declared:

"Bhikkhus, among my Bhikkhuni disciples who are skilled in expounding the Doctrine Bhikkhuni Dhammadinna is the foremost."

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