佛教論述女性障礙修行的相關省思──從淨土法門談起

From Women's Status in Pure Land Teaching of Buddhism to Women's Barrier in Practice

世親《往生論》有云「女人不生」，此句經論照字面解釋，表示女性不得往生西方極樂世界。然而另一種解釋是女性往生西方極樂淨土時，會女身轉成男身，故說「女人不生」。但這種女身轉成男身的言說留下歧視女性的痕跡，未能完全符合大乘佛法的平等思想，故本文由淨土經論疏解其意涵，探討女性在淨土法門的地位，並對女性障礙修行的相關議題作出反思。
在原始佛教時便有女性受束縛、被歧視的言說，延續到部派佛教則愈演愈烈，將女性視為障礙男性修行的主要元兇，更將婬欲的起染問題歸咎於女性。本文對這些指責，分別從「有關女性障礙修行之成說」、「貶抑女性之說法的可信度」、「從文化反省貶抑女性之說」等三方面來論證貶抑女性的說法，是導因於男尊女卑的文化偏見及文化約束。由於二千多年來的佛法，一直掌握在男性手裏，使得佛法受到嚴重的歪曲。是故，能夠導正此迷思，才能開展女性成佛往生的道路，並發揚大乘佛法的平等精神。

Vasubandhu's ( Shìqīn 世親, transliterated as p'o-p'an-tou 婆槃豆, 320—380？) Sukhavati-vyuhopadeca (Wăngsēng lùn《往生論》)said “women not born”, in common sense that means women can not be reborn in Amitābha's Pure Land. But another explanation suggesting that women must be transformed into men when rebirth into the Amitābha's Pure land. Such saying leaves the trace of women discrimination, but does not iterate the will of equality of mahāyāna. Thereof, this paper uses Pure Land scriptures and treatises to reiterate its meaning, and from women's status in Pure Land to discuss women's interference to practice.
In early Buddhism (yuánshĭ fójiào 原始佛教) there were already sayings about sexual discriminations. Continue to a branch of a certain doctrinal sect (bùpài fójiào 部派佛教), women has been seen as the main hindrance to men's practice. They even become the cause of all sexual desires. This paper investigates such condemnation from three aspects, namely the saying of women's interference to pratice; the credibility of the saying toward the discrimination to women; the discrimination to women from cultural reflexivity. The discussion concludes that such condemnations are resulted from the cultural bias and limitations of machoism. Because Buddhism has been led by man for more than two thousand years, Buddhism has been distorted in some way. Therefore, only to redirect such myth can women walk on the rebirth way in equal status.