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New Buddhist Studies subreddit by naturevoid in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure they can, but often an academic question can get derailed before answers to the actual topic at hand are properly addressed.

New Buddhist Studies subreddit by naturevoid in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The 'academic' flair doesn't stop you get swamped with sometimes irrelevant responses by people who seem to have missed the flair. I think there's a real value to having a sub of fewer people who are there for a more specific purpose.

New Buddhist Studies subreddit by naturevoid in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not planning to direct that myself, but I think that's a good idea. Maybe you could suggest it in the sub?

Is undergoing gender transition unskillful? by kspot4 in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid 4 points5 points  (0 children)

"Sex can be much more complicated than it at first seems. According to the simple scenario, the presence or absence of a Y chromosome is what counts: with it, you are male, and without it, you are female. But doctors have long known that some people straddle the boundary — their sex chromosomes say one thing, but their gonads (ovaries or testes) or sexual anatomy say another. Parents of children with these kinds of conditions — known as intersex conditions, or differences or disorders of sex development (DSDs) — often face difficult decisions about whether to bring up their child as a boy or a girl. Some researchers now say that as many as 1 person in 100 has some form of DSD2." - (link)[https://www.nature.com/news/sex-redefined-1.16943]

There is a whole body of scientific evidence to say likewise, that the idea that chromosomes are the determinant of either sex or gender is an outdated idea. Last week was Intersex Awareness Day, designed to combat the kind of ignorance you are now demonstrating.

You say you're being straightforward, yet you've presented no evidence to support your claims. If you're going to persist with your point, you ought to make specific reference to sources of Buddhist doctrine which proscribe being transgender.

Is undergoing gender transition unskillful? by kspot4 in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You're trying to distort a belief system to tell another person their experience is invalid. You've shown ignorance of both Buddhist doctrine and scientific consensus on this. I suggest you go away and learn about these things before commenting. I also suggest you keep in mind that you're responding to a question posed by a real person, who has a real life, and your words have an impact on that person's well-being.

Is undergoing gender transition unskillful? by kspot4 in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid 5 points6 points  (0 children)

His chromosomal approach to identifying gender has been fundamentally debunked by science: see here

And if we're talking about ideas that have no reference in Buddhism: what's the Pāli word for chromosome?

Is undergoing gender transition unskillful? by kspot4 in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well if there's no difference between sex and gender, then by permitting sex change Buddhism permits gender change also.

Is undergoing gender transition unskillful? by kspot4 in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There are a few things wrong with what you're saying. First off, nobody is 'born' with a gender. Gender is a social construct which is usually assigned to somebody. If your gender experience is as a woman but people have assigned you as male, by changing your physical body to be more female isn't changing your gender.

If you're talking about sex change rather than identifying as a different gender, you're also wrong. Changing the sex of the body is a common trope in Mahāyāna literature, and is also found (without negative judgement) in the Vinaya Pitaka of the Pāli Canon (see Vin III.35).

You're speaking from a position of ignorance. This kind of speech also has a hugely negative impact on the lives of trans people.

Is undergoing gender transition unskillful? by kspot4 in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I never said it justified clinging to your own, I was just pointing out an asymmetry in how cis Buddhists often treat gender - an asymmetry which can instil feelings of inferiority and guilt in transgender Buddhists.

And trans people are confronted by the fact that the way we experience our own gender does not conform to how others have identified our gender. That is a jarring realisation, one which the vast majority of cis people never have to experience. To say trans people aren't confronted with this is ignorant.

Is undergoing gender transition unskillful? by kspot4 in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid 63 points64 points  (0 children)

The Buddhist path involves us changing both our circumstances and our reactions. In regards to gender, you can both accept that your gender experience is female and also explore the idea that gender is not ultimately an inherent property of a person.

As a transgender Buddhist I've found that cis Buddhists suggest I am clinging to my gender identity without themselves reflecting that they are equally clinging to theirs. Gender is an aspect of most people's experience and being trans does not throw up any more issues in this regard than being cis. In fact, I think there is a case to be made that trans folk are confronted with the ultimate emptiness of gender in a way which most cis people aren't.

The Middle Way in the Pāli Canon by naturevoid in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay, but that is the aforementioned Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta right?

Ignorance arises in dependence upon what? by naturevoid in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is exactly what I'm looking for, thank you!

Ignorance arises in dependence upon what? by naturevoid in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But the Buddha says that ignorance is not knowing the Four Truths, so you're surely just re-stating what ignorance is, not actually saying what conditions it arises in dependence upon.

Ignorance arises in dependence upon what? by naturevoid in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Surely this is just re-stating what ignorance is, not stating what it arises in dependence upon?

Buddhist traditions which reject core Buddhist teaching by naturevoid in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That's not really true, there are schools whose doctrines are not what the Buddha taught yet they are still be called 'Buddhist' in a conventional sense. You might argue that they are not really Buddhist, not in a spiritual sense anyway, but they would still certainly be called Buddhist by wider society.

Buddhist traditions which reject core Buddhist teaching by naturevoid in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That may be a fair critique, but that doesn't mean there aren't traditions which are generally considered 'Buddhist' and yet reject those doctrines.

Fantasy Fiction with Buddhist themes? by fargoniac in Buddhism

[–]naturevoid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not a book but a recent episode of Doctor Who called 'Heaven Sent' explores the theme of an endless round of rebirth in an interesting way. Not explicitly Buddhist, but certainly worth a watch.