Lesbian Buddhist eSangha FAQ

Frequently Asked	Questions

This page contains our answers to often-asked questions about lesbians and Buddhism.

What is Buddhism's position about someone being lesbian, gay or bisexual?

There are different schools and traditions that make up Buddhism, and there are also differences in how attitudes towards lesbians and gays have evolved within different traditions. So there is no one overarching Position that Buddhism officially espouses.

Here are some links to material concerning the status of gays and lesbians within different schools of Buddhism:

Coming Out of the Spiritual Closet
by Rev. Sarika Dharma
Homosexuality and Theravada Buddhism
by A. L. DeSilva
What were the Buddha's views on homosexuality?
by John Bullitt
What Would the Buddha Have Had to Say About Gay Liberation?
An interview with Jose Cabezon by Amy Edelstein
Coming Out in the Goat Shed
by Urgyan Tendzin
The Lone Mountain Path: The Example of Issan Dorsey
by Kobai Scott Whitney
Nichiren Buddhism, Affirming My Happiness
by Raheim
Homosexuality in the Japanese Buddhist Tradition
by Dharmachari Jñanavira
Life > religion> Buddhism & homosexuality
by Kerry Trembath
The Buddhist Religion and Homosexuality
by B.A. Robinson
Buddhism Grapples with Homosexuality
by Peter Hacker
Karma and Homosexuality
An except from a talk given by Ven. George from the Amitabha Buddhist Centre
Buddhist Sexual Ethics
by Winton Higgins
The Homosexual Tradition in China
Selections from Chinese homosexual literature
Dahli Lama's View of Us: Minutes of a meeting between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and gay and lesbian leaders in San Francisco, June 11, 1997
"According to Buddhist Tradition": Gays, Lesbians and the Definition of Sexual Misconduct
by Steve Peskind
Some Notes on Buddhist Views of Sexual Minority Orientation and Behavior — Bibliography

And during an interview, here's what esteemed Tibetan Buddhist nun and teacher Pema Chödrön and Alice Walker had to say about concerns about the Dalai Lama's comments about homosexuality:

Question: My name is Margaret, and I have practiced Tibetan Buddhism for a number of years. About eighteen months ago, right around the time that for the first time in my life I fell in love with a woman, the Dalai Lama made a number of comments pointing out where the Tibetan tradition did not regard homosexuality as a positive thing, in fact an obstacle to spiritual growth. It reached the point that I left the sangha I was connected with and found a different part of the spiritual path that’s working for me now. I have gay and bisexual friends who are interested in Buddhism but some of them have been stopped by what the Dalai Lama had to say and by the lack of coherent answers from other people. I think it would be a big service if you could address that.

Pema Chödrön: Well, listen. I have so much respect for the Dalai Lama and I think that’s where people get stuck. I didn’t actually hear those comments, and I heard there were also favorable comments. But aside from all that, as Buddhism comes to the West, Western Buddhist teachers simply don’t buy that. It’s as if Asian teachers said that women were inferior or something. I mean, it’s absurd. That’s all there is to it. (applause) It’s just ridiculous.

Question: Let me ask you to say that often and loud.

Pema Chödrön: Sure! I go on record. And I’m not alone, it’s not something unique with me. Western teachers, coming from this culture, we see things pretty differently on certain issues and this is one, for sure.

But the Dalai Lama is a wonderful man, and I have a feeling that if he were sitting here he’d have something else to say on the subject.

Alice Walker: You know, when he was here at the peace conference he was confronted by gay men and lesbian women and he readily admitted that he really didn’t know. He didn’t seem rigid on it.

But also, when there is wisdom about, we should have it! Wisdom belongs to the people. We must never be kept from wisdom by anybody telling us you can’t have it because you’re this that or the other.

(Source URL for above material)

Also, Soka Gakkai International (SGI) President Daisaku Ikeda's message to the SGI GLBT conference, March 2001 included the following statement:

As Nichiren Daishonin states: "Through the example of one person, all living beings become equal." Buddhism upholds equality and expounds supreme humanism. All human being have equal rights. There is no difference whatsoever in their inherent dignity. So no matter what you may face, please live with pride, confidence, and courage.

(Source URL for above material)

What does "metta" mean?

Metta is the Pali word for loving-kindness. It is one of the four divine abodes, the others being karuna (compassion), mudita (appreciative joy — like being happy over someone else's good fortune), and upekkha (equanimity).

Pali is the language in which the Buddha's teachings were first written down. It's similar to Sanskrit.

Where can I learn more about Tara?

Try the Female Buddhas and bodhisattvas page on the Women Active in Buddhism (WAiB) site. This page offers basic information on Green Tara, Red Tara, and White Tara, plus links to further information and other images, and even a listing of some of the books that have been written about Tara.

You might also find some useful information at Green Tara, a page put together by Arya Tara — Tibetan Buddhism UK.

There's solid information on the Blessed Arya Tara page, too, but you've got to read a ways down to get to it.

Could you recommend some good, basic books for someone new to Buddhism?

It's easy to think of books to suggest — the challenge to keep the list from running off the page! Try these:

Chödrön, Pema. The Wisdom of No Escape: And the Path of Loving-Kindness (Boston, MA: Shambhala). © 1991. ISBN: 1-57062-872-6.
Chödrön, Pema. When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times (Boston, MA: Shambhala) © 1997. ISBN: 1-57062-160-8.
Salzberg, Sharon. Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness (Boston, MA: Shambhala) © 1995. ISBN: 1-57062-903-X.
Salzberg, Sharon. A Heart as Wide as the World: Stories on the Path of Lovingkindness (Boston, MA: Shambhala) © 1997. ISBN: 1-57062-428-3.
Boorstein, Sylvia. It's Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness (San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco) © 1997. ISBN: 0-06251-294-3.
Boorstein, Sylvia. Pay Attention, for Goodness' Sake: The Buddhist Path of Kindness (Ballantine Books) © 2003. ISBN: 0-34544-811-1.
Boucher, Sandy. Discovering Kwan Yin, Buddhist Goddess of Compassion (Boston, MA: Beacon Press) © 1999. ISBN: 0-80701-340-4.
Friedman, Lenore, ed. On Being Bodies: Buddhist Women on the Paradox of Embodiment (Boston, MA: Shambhala) © 1997. ISBN: 1-57062-324-4.
Aitken, Robert. Encouraging Words : Zen Buddhist Teachings for Western Students (Pantheon Books) © 1994. ISBN: 0-67975-652-3.
Gunaratana, Venerable Henepola. Mindfulness in Plain English (Boston, MA: Wisdom Publications) © 1991. ISBN: 0-86171-064-9. The text is also available online.
Nhat Hanh, Thich. The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation (Boston, MA: Beacon Press) © 1976. ISBN: 0-8070-1239-4.
Nhat Hanh, Thich. The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation (New York: Broadway Books) © 1998. ISBN: 0-7679-0369-2.
Nhat Hanh, Thich. Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Steps of the Buddha. (Parallax Press) © 1991. ISBN: 0-93807-726-0.

What is Buddhism's position about someone being lesbian, gay or bisexual?
What does "metta" mean?
Where can I learn more about Tara?
Could you recommend some good, basic books for someone new to Buddhism?

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Page last modified on October 30, 2004

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