The wisest teachings of Buddhism say that; like all oppositions; one must move beyond gender. But as Serinity Young shows in this enlightening work; the rhetoric of Buddhist texts; the symbolism of its iconography; and the performative import of its rituals; tell different; and often contradictory; stories. In Courtesans and Tantric Consorts; Serinity Young takes the reader on a journey through more than 2000 years of biographical writings; iconographic depictions; and ritual practices revealing Buddhism's deep struggles with gender.Juxtaposing empowering images of women with their textual repudiation; beginning with the Buddha himself who abandoned his wife; tantric courtesans who are considered necessary to male enlightenment with fertility rituals designed to ensure male offspring; tales of gender-bending gods and goddesses with all male heavens; Serinity Young draws on a vast range of sources to reveal the colourful; and often troubling; mosaic of beliefs that inform Buddhist views about gender and sexuality.
#1076879 in Books Routledge 2011-10-07 2011-10-31Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .80 x 6.00l; 1.00 #File Name: 0415802369352 pages
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