Buddhism beyond Gender: Liberation from Attachment to Identity

by Rita M. Gross, Judith Simmer-Brown (Introduction)

A bold and provocative work from the late preeminent feminist scholar, which challenges men and women alike to free themselves from attachment to gender. At the heart of Buddhism is the notion of egolessness—“forgetting the self”—as the path to awakening. In fact, attachment to views of any kind only leads to more suffering for ourselves and others. And what has a greater hold on people’s imaginations or limits them more, asks Rita Gross, than ideas about biological sex and what she calls “the prison of gender roles”? Yet if clinging to gender identity does, indeed, create obstacles for us, why does the prison of gender roles remain so inescapable? Gross uses the lenses of Buddhist philosophy to deconstruct the powerful concept of gender and its impact on our lives. In revealing the inadequacies involved in clinging to gender identity, she illuminates the suffering that results from clinging to any kind of identity at all.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Buddhism, Social Science, Religion, Gender, Feminism

172 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 27, 2018

Reviews

[Jolynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title is very misleading. If you want to read about Buddhism, gender and how they intersect this isn't the book. If you want to learn about attachment to gender on a personal level (not a political level) this really isn't the book. I picked it up thinking I'd learn more about how to reach a mindset that isn't as attached to gender personally in a way that would decrease suffering. This book is one massive feminist rant about the prison that she calls gender roles. Her idea of gender is limited to male and female, nothing else. She erases trans identities, gender non-conforming etc. She also limits relationships to man and woman aka heterosexual. For someone who is pretty angry about gender roles she has some pretty unhealthy/limited views of what gender even means outside of the nuclear family. Lastly, she not once mentions relationships outside of heterosexual and often expresses homophobic and transphobic rhetoric such as a man and women together raise a child wholly. If one person is absent in any way it could effect the child. As if this is absolute. I haven't been this angry about a book in years. It was published before completion but nothing about their approach suggests that it could have been finished in a way that could make up for what I just read. What I read was not at all Buddhist. Much harm was written on those pages and I don't support how close minded it was.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the beginning and thought the author's textual analysis of various sutras/sutras was insightful and helpful.

Unfortunately, the last part of the book is currently clearest in my mind and the part that I have the most qualms about. In no particular order:

-while Simmer-Brown mentions in the intro that Gross died before she could incorporate more discussion of issues facing transgender practitioners, I think it was probably better for my blood pressure this way: Gross was a cis woman writing exclusively from that perspective and it really showed. (Like seriously, no mention of hijra gender at all? 🙄)

-Gross was proudly attached to her identity as a second-wave feminist. I found this attachment problematic even if she didn't. I think if she were less attached to the label, she could have had more energy to explore intersectional feminisms instead of refusing those insights. (Not saying she should have become a postmodernist, but her hostility to the ideas was clear in the final chapter, when she complaines about people playing oppression Olympics and not letting her White Feminism™️ in peace (pp144-145).)

-she made a comment about social scientists critiquing her for trying to colonize Buddhism after spending half a chapter saying that Asian Buddhists refused to respect the word feminism and I had a very facepalm feeling because I'd spent that entire section cringing at her attempts at hermeneutic colonization*. Defensive walls make it hard to take in new ways of thinking and I completely have been there. But I've never written a book subtitled "liberation from attachment" 😕

Anyway, I have strongly mixed feelings about this book. Also, it's not a good entry-level text. The writing is engaging and readable, but if you don't have a solid grounding in Buddhist principles you'll be looking up a lot of terms.



(*is that a real term? I kept thinking of hermeneutic injustice and colonization while reading that part and this was the closest I could come to describing it?)

[Va · Rating 1 out of 5]

The fact that she claimed herself to be one of 2nd wave feminist is the attachment to identity already.
I actually think her premises were good but the arguments were horrible so I do not suggest anyone read it unless they want to listen to a whole story of herself and all the feminism theory 101.
It can be good if this book doesn't intend to talk about Buddhism and Gender issues in a theoretical way because this way is too disappointing for me.
Anyway, It could be better but yet she's gone before this book was publishing.

[Scottie · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Buddhism Beyond Gender' comes in at 146 pages, but it's dense. I found myself reading five or so pages, then contemplating.

Gross defines feminism as seeking freedom from the prison of gender roles. Her main focus is the role of women in Buddhism throughout time and into today and considers why oppression exists in a religion where such a thing is paradoxical.

Pages 141 to the end particularly resonated with me. They addresse the balance that social justice movements walk when there is a tendency to feel that your particular issue is more important than others. 'Liberating one liberates all' comes from a Mahayana sutra that Gross describes as difficult. The phrase can mean that focus on defeating one oppression defeats all (and should be approached as such) or, probably more likely, concentrating on one's own liberation leads to the liberation of all.

I have studied Buddhism in a tradition where gender isn't an issue. Monks can be female and sometimes even seem gender fluid. It is interesting, and important, for me to learn this is not the case with all traditions.

The book also makes an important point about religions in general. As much as people tend to blame religion for controlling our governments and societies, the reverse has happened and probably to a greater and ultimately more devastating effect.

[Jeanette Blain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddhism Beyond Gender is an interesting take on Buddhism through the eyes of a Western feminist practitioner. Rita Gross claims that the perils of clinging to gender roles are often overlooked since gender identity is so ingrained in our cultures. In her view, the Buddha's message was not inherently androcentric, but traditional roles have become so, creating inequality between the sexes. She says this issue is not, necessarily, a projection of Western feminist ideals, as there are many passages that could be termed "feminist" in historical Buddhist texts.

I thought this book was worth the read. The writing was a bit redundant and not as well-organized as I'd like, but since Gross, unfortunately, passed away before publication of this book, I didn't remove a star for that.

Thanks to NetGalley and Shambhala Publications, Inc. for an advanced copy of this book. All views are my own.

[Jessica O · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise is good, but the execution is horrible. Really, this book would have made a great article - that way there wouldn't have been room for all the second wave white feminist nonsense. I have a practice of rounding up when I want to give half stars, but decided to round down in this case because of TERFy, reproductive essentialism.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got about 3/4 through maybe more before deciding to stop. This book was good at the start but got repetitive very quickly. Safe to say the author was an amazing person and one who spent a lifetime battling gender inequality. However did not provide any solutions in how to do so in regards to the religion of Buddhism aside from identifying that gender inequality has existed in eastern and western society for millennia much to the detriment of women and sighting many examples of this. Some new to me but most was a bunch of feminist jargon throw behind the guise of Buddhist thinking. Ironically, there was little talk of Buddhist philosophy and how Buddhist thinking can help solve inequality in its own religion aside from repeatedly going back to the basic idea that one must detach from the idea of gender in order to let go of it.

This also read like it was written in the 70s or 80s and though there was mention of lgbtq+ folx it was mostly written from a very heterosexual standpoint with the author commenting again and again on how we just dismantle the patriarchy of Buddhism and make dominance in it.

After 100 or so pages I came to the unfortunate conclusion that this book was not giving me any new knowledge and decided to let it go. Maybe I’m missing something... but maybe it’s just not what I was hoping it would be.

[Kandachamy Vijayakumaran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rita M Gross is a sincere feminist who writes for the rightful place of women in all domains, including the Buddhist spiritual path. This book should be taken an additional exposition of her work Buddhism after Patriarchy. A must read for those Buddhist who are tied obstinately to the traditions while the Buddha had taught us about the impermanence of everything, including his own teachings.

[Katya · Rating 2 out of 5]

was hopeful but nope

[Dana Norby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful, concise, well researched and explained through Buddhist texts, and accessible to non-Buddhists. I would recommend to anyone interested in gender and spirituality through history. The comparisons of the teachings of the Buddha to their modern interpretations fascinates. Rita Gross was an American Buddhist convert, and is able to shed light on the way clinging to western gender roles influences our spiritual and material lives through her own journey.