Presiding over the comrade Buddha's wedding, an exclusive interview with Shi Zhaohui: My feminist enlightenment was taught to me by the Buddha

Text: Womany Jiaqi

In 2019, when the Taiwan LGBT Parade was about to be held, we interviewed Venerable Shi Zhaohui, Dean of the School of Social Sciences of Xuanzang University, to talk about gay marriage and feminism from a Buddhist point of view.

In the past few years, many people's impression of her is still stuck in the controversy over the Tzu Chi development case and the public hearing of the Legislative Yuan last year. She is kind and kind-hearted, and she always rumbles when she stands on stage, criticizing the Family Alliance in the first place, and then beating the homophobic legislators, which makes many people love and hate.

But there are also many people who don't know that Shi Zhaohui is also a gender activist. A self-confessed "feminist", in 2001 she advocated the abolition of the "Eight Honorific Dharma" in Buddhism, in which bhikshus are higher than bhikshunis[1], and opposed the recitation of the 84 postures by bhikshunis, and even earlier in 2012, she presided over the world's first Buddhist gay wedding.

She laughed that Taiwan's Buddhist culture is likely to be the most gender-friendly in the world.

"I'm not a good disciple": My feminist enlightenment was taught to me by the Buddha

"I've never been a very well-behaved apprentice." She said.

Buddhism emphasizes the concept of "equality of all beings", which is very similar to the concept of democracy and freedom she learned in college, and it also became the opportunity for her to step into Buddhism.

It's just that when I first entered the Buddhist gate, "Monks shouldn't be arrogant, and I didn't immediately feel sexist. My master is a bhikshu, and occasionally when I discuss issues with my master, whenever I have a different opinion, he will get angry: 'I am the master and you are the apprentice; I am a bhikshu and you are a bhikshuni; I'm an elder, you're a junior, and you shouldn't contradict me." 」

She smiled. "Of course, I immediately pushed back, and I said, 'You are the master, I am the apprentice, you are the elder and I am the junior,' and I agreed, but why should I let you because you are a man?"

"I thought it was Master's problem. Later, I realized that this is not just an individual, it's Buddhism as a whole, and that someone is reinforcing the gender issue, as if because he is a man, he should be especially honored and worshipped."

For example, she said, "Some bhikshunis have to memorize the eighty-four states, and some people claim that the Buddha said that 'women have eighty-four ugly states,' so the karma is particularly heavy. I think it's inexplicable that anyone who doesn't have mental problems would say such a thing. Anyone can make up a scripture and say it's the Buddha's saying."

On the Internet, there is a "Buddha said that women are in eighty-four states". Wearing earrings, lipstick, and beautiful shoes are all classified as "ugly women," and some monks also advocate that bhikshunis should read them.

But are these really what the Buddha said? Shi Zhaohui entered the Buddhism, but she was still rebellious, desperately trying to find the answer:

"There are many inconsistencies in these scriptures, or there are problems with the dates. I'm going to point it out. After the Buddha extinguished, the disciples wrote them down for fear of losing the teachings, and they were added and revised one after another. For a long time, the interpretation of Buddhist scriptures fell into the hands of men. This sexism adds up, and it's hard to change it in one go."

Shi Zhaohui: "Buddhism should not become a sexual cult"

As a result, Shi Zhaohui wrote articles, held seminars, held press conferences, and advocated that Buddhism's unreasonable sexist dogmas should be changed.

"From the perspective of Buddhism, gender is actually a concept that needs to be transcended in order to reach the rank of saint. It has nothing to do with gender, it has to do with virtue, it has to do with wisdom. If you emphasize the difference between genders, you are only reinforcing the advantages of men, and I often laugh at you and say, "You are turning 'Buddhism' into 'sexual organ worship.'" 」

There is a #MeToo in Buddhism: Don't think that if you blame the individual, you will be fine

In addition to the regulations, sexual harassment has also occurred in Buddhism, and Shi Zhaohui often jumps out to speak for the victims.

In 2018, an abbot was sexually assaulted at Longquan Temple in Beijing, China. The media has published Shi Zhaohui's analysis.

In the article, she pointed out that the religious interface often evades responsibility for sex scandals by means of collective silence, drawing a clear line, and making decisions by monks and monks, which constitutes a structural evil. (Read more: #METOO Interview with Shiori Ito: People shouldn't have only one way to understand sexual assault)

Scandals can happen in any religion, but in an environment of gender imequality, it is terrible. What you have to do is not to cut: "This bhikshu is already very bad", and the others will be fine. It's not that this bhikkhu is particularly bad, but that the environment has made him like this once upon a time? Is it a matter of power? Is it the power of gender, the power of the Buddhist hierarchy, that makes them think that "women are my tools"?

In addition to structural cover-ups, she also proposes an analysis from a personal perspective. Many causes of sexual assault and harassment are often not caused by external sexual temptation, but from internal insecurity, which amplifies people's desire for power.

Many people actually have low self-esteem and arrogance. They are ordinary people in the world. But when I entered the Buddha's gate, I had the illusion that I was superior. For example, a man who becomes a bhikshu thinks that he is a bhikshuni of the highest rank. But they know in their hearts, are they really that great? As a result, they have low self-esteem and arrogance, and are often anxious to behave in front of lay people [2], but they are inferior. It's complicated. For many men, it's also pitiful.

In fact, this kind of situation is not only in Buddhism, but in any social relationship with unequal power. What to do?

"To return to the wisdom of the Dharma and to see that all the strengths and weaknesses are relative. so that this kind of good and bad treatment will not produce inferiority and arrogance."

If you don't have confidence in yourself, you tend to place your hopes on others, and you feel inferior and arrogant, but you are even more lost.

Perhaps the Buddha would have said that in this universe only you can rely on, and only you can see the truth.

"The Buddha is no exception. When he was about to leave the world, his attendant was called Ananda. Ananda was very sad and said Buddha, you seem to be suffering a lot of back pain. The Buddha then comforted him and said don't worry, you always have to remember that you can only rely on yourself to follow the Dharma, and the Dharma is the truth. Only by following the law of truth can you take yourself to a better place. That's why we say, 'Self-dependence, law-dependency,' and you only rely on the truth, don't look for reliance from others." (Read more: Interview with Deng Huiwen: "If you keep waiting to be taken care of, your own growth will not be completed")

"People, it's better to think of yourself as an ordinary person. Whether it's for people of different genders or sexual orientations, don't think you are higher than others."

When many people think that gender is another battleground, another discussion, or even sexual vulnerability, they don't need to care about gender issues, but this is not the case. The concept of gender is an important subject to how you see yourself, how you see others, and how you relate to them. This is common in all areas.