{"id":137,"date":"2010-07-08T04:13:00","date_gmt":"2010-07-08T04:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2010\/07\/more-early-buddhist-feminism\/"},"modified":"2010-07-08T04:13:00","modified_gmt":"2010-07-08T04:13:00","slug":"more-early-buddhist-feminism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2010\/07\/more-early-buddhist-feminism.html","title":{"rendered":"More early Buddhist Feminism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
SN 5.2 <\/div>\n
PTS: S i 129 <\/div>\n
CDB i 222<\/div>\n
Soma Sutta: Mara Meets His Match<\/div>\n
translated from the Pali by<\/div>\n
Andrew Olendzki<\/div>\n
\u00a9 2005\u20132010<\/div>\n
Alternate translations: Bodhi | Thanissaro<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

The nun Soma has entered Andhavana (Blind Man\u2019s Grove) near Savatthi to practice meditation. Mara, the embodiment of delusion, sees her there and desires to make her waver and abandon her concentration. He addresses her with a verse:<\/p>\n

That which can be attained by seers \u2014 The place so hard to arrive at \u2014 Women are not able to reach, Since they lack sufficient wisdom.
[Soma replies:]
What difference does being a woman make When the mind is well-composed, When knowledge is proceeding on, When one rightly sees into Dhamma? Indeed for whom the question arises: \u201cAm I a man or a woman?\u201d Or, \u201cAm I even something at all?\u201d To them alone is Mara fit to talk! <\/p>\n

Translator\u2019s note:<\/p>\n

This, in my view, is the definitive statement in the Buddhist<\/a> tradition regarding the equality of the sexes. Whatever other words have crept into the literature \u2014 from ancient times to the present \u2014 whatever attitudes may have been expressed by Theras, Lamas, Roshis or Teachers over the ages, this position of thoroughgoing equality in light of the Dhamma is plainly stated by Soma, one of the Buddha\u2019s contemporary nuns.
Soma was the daughter of the chief priest of King Bimbisara of Magadha, and was an early convert to the Buddha\u2019s teaching. She spent many years as a lay supporter before eventually becoming a nun, and achieved awakening \u2014 like so many of her sisters \u2014 not long after joining the order.
In this exchange Mara is clearly trying to provoke and discourage Soma, but only reveals his delusion. The expression he uses literally means \u201ctwo fingers\u2019 [worth]\u201d of wisdom. It may originally have been a reference to the domestic task of checking if rice is cooked by examining it between the fingers, but here it is obviously used pejoratively to impugn that women are less capable of liberation. Soma not only refrains from getting offended (perhaps remembering Buddha\u2019s teaching to always \u201cforebear the fool\u201d), but calmly points out how ludicrous the statement is when viewed in light of the Buddha\u2019s higher teaching about the nature of personhood.<\/p>\n

Provenance:
\u00a92005 Andrew Olendzki.<\/p>\n

Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.<\/p>\n

This Access to Insight edition is \u00a92005\u20132010.
Terms of use: You may copy, reformat, reprint, republish, and redistribute this work in any medium whatsoever, provided that: (1) you only make such copies, etc. available free of charge; (2) you clearly indicate that any derivatives of this work (including translations) are derived from this source document; and (3) you include the full text of this license in any copies or derivatives of this work. Otherwise, all rights reserved. For additional information about this license, see the FAQ.
How to cite this document (one suggested style): \u201cSoma Sutta: Mara Meets His Match\u201d(SN 5.2), translated from the Pali by Andrew Olendzki. Access to Insight, June 14, 2010, http:\/\/www.accesstoinsight.org\/tipitaka\/sn\/sn05\/sn05.002.olen.html.<\/p>\n

~<\/div>\n
You can also read my post on being a feminist<\/a>. And my more recent post on early Buddhist feminism<\/a>. And of course, some\u2026<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
SUGGESTED READING:<\/i><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Buddhism After Patriarchy: A Feminist History, Analysis, and Reconstruction of Buddhism<\/a>\"\"\u00a0\u2013 Rita M. Gross<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Meeting the Great Bliss Queen: Buddhists, Feminists, and the Art of the Self<\/a>\"\"\u00a0\u2013 Anne C. Klein<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Prolife, Prochoice: Buddhism and Reproductive Ethics.: An article from: Feminism & Nonviolence Studies<\/a>\"\"\u00a0\u2013 Karma Lekshe Tsomo<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Religious Feminism and the Future of the Planet: A Christian-Buddhist Conversation<\/a>\"\"\u00a0\u2013 Rita M. Gross, Rosemary Radford Ruether<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Buddhism, Sexuality, and Gender<\/a>\"\"\u00a0\u2013 Jose Ignacio Cabezon (Editor). My undergrad advisor has an article in this on early Buddhism and Women that has been very influential.<\/div>\n
Women\u2019s Buddhism, Buddhism\u2019s Women : tradition, revision, renewal<\/a>\"\"<\/i>\u00a0<\/span>edited by Ellison Banks Findly. (suggested by the great scholar and friend, Margaret). And last but not least:<\/div>\n
Buddhist Women on the Edge: Contemporary Perspectives from the Western Frontier<\/a><\/span>\"\"<\/span>, <\/span>Marianne Dresser (Editor).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SN 5.2 PTS: S i 129 CDB i 222 Soma Sutta: Mara Meets His Match translated from the Pali by Andrew Olendzki \u00a9 2005\u20132010 Alternate translations: Bodhi | Thanissaro The nun Soma has entered Andhavana (Blind Man\u2019s Grove) near Savatthi to practice meditation. Mara, the embodiment of delusion, sees her there and desires to make […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nMore early Buddhist Feminism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SN 5.2 PTS: S i 129 CDB i 222Soma Sutta: Mara Meets His Matchtranslated from the Pali byAndrew Olendzki\u00a9 2005\u20132010Alternate translations: Bodhi |\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2010\/07\/more-early-buddhist-feminism.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"More early Buddhist Feminism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SN 5.2 PTS: S i 129 CDB i 222Soma Sutta: Mara Meets His Matchtranslated from the Pali byAndrew Olendzki\u00a9 2005\u20132010Alternate translations: Bodhi |\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2010\/07\/more-early-buddhist-feminism.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Buddhist Perspectives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-07-08T04:13:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.assoc-amazon.com\/e\/ir?t=montanafreethink&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0791414043\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Justin Whitaker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Justin Whitaker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2010\/07\/more-early-buddhist-feminism.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2010\/07\/more-early-buddhist-feminism.html\",\"name\":\"More early Buddhist Feminism\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2010-07-08T04:13:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2010-07-08T04:13:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/#\/schema\/person\/abfb8f851f671638c4c7536b963f9da9\"},\"description\":\"SN 5.2 PTS: S i 129 CDB i 222Soma Sutta: Mara Meets His Matchtranslated from the Pali byAndrew Olendzki\u00a9 2005\u20132010Alternate translations: Bodhi |\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2010\/07\/more-early-buddhist-feminism.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2010\/07\/more-early-buddhist-feminism.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2010\/07\/more-early-buddhist-feminism.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"More early Buddhist Feminism\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/\",\"name\":\"American Buddhist Perspectives\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/#\/schema\/person\/abfb8f851f671638c4c7536b963f9da9\",\"name\":\"Justin Whitaker\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/817b6fba8ae056aaff4f9bdc84347d72?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/817b6fba8ae056aaff4f9bdc84347d72?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Justin Whitaker\"},\"description\":\"I am an almost-life-long Montanan; a baptized Catholic; an ardent Atheist; a practicing Buddhist; a lover of Wisdom. 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