Kritik am Buch „The Shadow Of The Dalai Lama ... - Neues von Shi De

The sexual abuse of women in the modern Buddhist centers of the West has been made public by,
among others, the American, Sandy Boucher. In many of these feminist critiques social arguments —
one the one side an androcentric hierarchy, on the other the oppressed woman — are as frequent as
theological and philosophical ones.
The points which the neo-shaman and Wicca Witch, Starhawk, brings against the Buddhist theory of
suffering seem to us to be of such value that we would like quote them at length. Starhawk sees
herself as a representative of the witch (Wicca) movement, as a feminist dakini: “Witchcraft does not
maintain, like the First Truth of Buddhism, that 'all life is suffering'. On the contrary, life is a thing of
wonder. The Buddha is said to have gained this insight [about suffering] after his encounter with old
age, disease and wealth. In the Craft [i.e., the witch movement], old age is a natural and highly valued
part of the cycle of life, the time of greatest wisdom and understanding. Disease, of course, causes
misery but it is not something to be inevitably suffered: The practice of the Craft was always
connected with the healing arts, with herbalism and midwifery. Nor is death fearful: It is simply the
dissolution of the physical form that allows the spirit to prepare for new life. Suffering certainly exists
in life — it is part of learning. But escape from the wheel of Birth and Death is not the optimal cure,
any more than hara-kiri is the best cure of menstrual cramps.” (quoted by Gross, 1993, p. 284).
This radical feminist critique naturally also extends to Vajrayana: the cynical use of helpless girls in
the sexual magic rituals and the exploitation of patriarchal positions of power by the tantric gurus
stand at the center of the “patriarchal crimes”. But the alchemic transformation of feminine energy
into a masculine one and the “tantric female sacrifice”, both of which we discussed so extensively in
the first part of our study, are up until now not a point of contention. We shall soon see why.
3. The authors Tsultrim Allione, Janice Willis, Joana Macy, and Rita M. Gross can be counted among
the third “reform party”. The latter of these believes it possible that a new world-encompassing vision
can develop out of the encounter between feminism and Buddhism. She thus builds upon the critical
work of the radical feminists, but her goal is a “post-patriarchal Buddhism”, that is, the
institutionalization of the equality of the sexes within the Buddhist doctrine (Gross, 1993, p. 221).
This reform should not be imposed upon the religious system from outside, but rather be carried
through in “the heart of traditional Buddhism, its monasteries and educational institutions” (Gross,
1993, p. 241). Rita Gross sees this linkage with women as a millennial project, which is supposed to
continue the series of great stages in the history of Buddhism.
For this reason she needs no lesser metaphor to describe her vision than the “turning of the wheel”, in
remembrance of Buddha’s first sermon in Benares where, with the pronouncement of the Four Noble
Truths, he set the “wheel of the teaching” in motion. If, as is usual in some Buddhist schools, one sees
the first turning as the “lesser vehicle” (Hinayana), the second as the “great vehicle” (Mahayana), and
the third as Tantrism (Tantrayana), then one could, like Gross, refer to the connection of Buddhism
and feminism as the “fourth vehicle” or the fourth turning of the wheel. “And with each turning,” this
author says, “we will discover a progressively richer and fuller basis for reconstructing androgynous
[!] Buddhism” (Gross, 1993, p. 155). Many of the fundamental Buddhist doctrines about emptiness,
about the various energy bodies, about the ten-stage path to enlightenment, about emanation concepts
would be retained, but could now also be followed and obeyed by women. But above all the author
places weight on the ethical norms of Mahayana Buddhism and gives these a family-oriented twist:
compassion with all beings, thus also with women and children, the linking of family structures with
the Sangha (Buddhist community), the sacralization of the everyday, male assistance with the