Welcome back, Eddie. We mostly hear men talk about their enlightenment. I don't know that I have ever heard a woman say she was enlightenend. I know there are female monks. Do you know what the ratio is of men to women in enlightenment? If the ratio is lower for women do you know why?

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Oh there are quite a few women that say that, Bernadette Roberts comes readily to mind, although she does say she isnt enlightened as a human form. There are a couple around in the advaita scene that write too, that I am aware off, although personally i think they have just subsituted one form of identification with another. But thats true for men as well. Genuine enlightenment is extremely rare, so its hardly like there are thousands of enlightened people on the planet. More like maybe 10 or so who are make it known, that they are open to teaching something that cannot be taught.

Historically though, women really werent in positions to write about enlightenment becuase of various discrimation practices that, some of which still exist today in some subtle ways or not so subtle ways. So we dont hear much about women historically. For example, if they had a experience where there was enlightenment there and no one to experience it, and then wanted to write about it, then society would heavily have been in favour of seeing that book never being published.

Then there is just some maternal stuff that gets in the way is and while that is true for men too in that a lot of men are paternal, I tend to think that woman have more maternal instincts. Which you could also argue is a societal pressure. It is extremely difficult to negate your own children at a conceptual level, I am sure if I had children that my energy would be more invested in them than seeking enlightenment at the time, so in a way, my life worked out perfectly in that sense. But if I had children I doubt I really would have awoken to find I didnt exist

So I think for the foreseeble future and for various reasons, there is still going to see a slight ratio that favours men more than women. But it wouldnt prevent either man of woman from the attempt at enlightenment, so both can have a crack at it, if they are that way inclined. I doubt that was quite the case historically...

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Eddie Traversa

Spiritual Enlightenment Blog

http://www.truthrealization.com/index.php

Hi Eddie & all. Again, excuse my newness to this forum if I misunderstand the best way to interact in this subforum. My particular take on "enlightenment" is from long study of Buddhism. Historically Buddhists were actually quite chauvinistic with many early schools of Buddhism prohibiting women from becoming monks (monkesses?) & in fact during much of the history of Buddhism the monks would encourage women to practice dharma diligently so as to be reborn a man in their future life & thereby have a better shot @ enlightenment. Now, of course, no buddhist school at least publically believes that. Was watching a national TV newsprogram thsi am with the wife, (the Today Show), in which they purported, though, to report on research that claimed there were natural physiological brain differences that explained why husbands apparently never seem to hear what their wives are saying May be that factors in somehow thanks for your posted info, Earl

Why is it men hear every play described at a ballgame and remember which years all of these plays took place, but can't remember an anniversary?

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Why is it that women can remember an anniversary but cant remember that ball game?

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Eddie Traversa

Spiritual Enlightenment Blog

http://www.truthrealization.com/index.php

That brings a sad reply, because many women aren't that interested. So if you are going to parallel the two, that would mean the men might not be that interested their wives. But, don't kid yourselves there are some very avid female baseball fans.

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Well when wives go into a 2 hour drama about what to wear tonight, then its not unfeasable to think that a lot of men would lose interest in that. Same for sports, when men go into a drama about that sport or car etc.. then its not unfeasable to think that women would loose interest in that. And so it goes...

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Eddie Traversa

Spiritual Enlightenment Blog

http://www.truthrealization.com/index.php

There were quite a few "enlightened" women in india in the earlier vedic period, many of whom contributed to the upanishads (ancient india's spiritual discussion forum, now non-interactive, available in archive form only) ...

but during the later part of the vedic period, as the human society as a whole became more male oriented, we find less and less women in the spiritual world.

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"Just multiply it with zero" ~ Some unknown buddha

Well, in the Lotus Sutra the Dragon King's daughter attains enlightenment without years of study (much to the amazement of Shariputra).

Four Zen students took a vow of silence. Shortly thereafter, one of them broki it by saying soomething.

The second student took him to task, saying "You're not supposed to talk!"

The third student said, "Why did you say somethng to him about it?"

The fourth one said, "I am the only one who hasn't spoken."

Maybe if you claim to be enlightened, you aren't? So that all these men who claim to be "enlightened" aren't, and the women, remaining silent on the subject, are?

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Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control;
these three alone lead one to sovereign power.
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