I had an discussion (more of an argument) on Insta with a Buddhist-impersonating anti-Theravada feminist who kept spamming suttas that “talk down” on women such as Black Snake Sutta etc…
People and even Theravadins can come to the conclusion that the Buddha is a misogynist from these suttas if they do not understand nor pay attention to the context.
It is very clearly presented in the Black Snake Suttas that the Tathāgata is talking to Bhikkhus. Now, I do not see any problem when the Buddha use “harsh language” to keep Bhikkhus from lusting on women and etc…
The anti-Theravada feminist constantly asks me that the Buddha didn’t specify it was for that reason, so therefore, the Buddha must be a misogynist!!
But it is right there in the context….
These people take verses out of context and do gymnastics just to push their agenda.
Why are all these EBT Indian Insta pages so obsessed with Women in the Pali Canon. Every 4/5 posts are about women being “oppressed” by the Buddha or the Arahants. When reading all their “evidence” and sources, it is nothing but a mess of out of context nonsense and sources from scholars who already dislike or rebuke many important factors of Theravada.
I recently deleted my Facebook account. I had well sought after reach, but the reach was extending beyond who I wanted to deal with. In the end, I feel better with a deleted Facebook account.
We created ClassicalTheravada to get away from the usual Dhammawheel and people (although not our @RobertK )… what more can be said about Instagram which is 2 or 3 levels away from Facebook in terms of quality Theravāda Dhamma. From what I have heard, Instagram (I think that is “insta”) is a younger trendy audience.
When you are ready to delete, they will likely have a 30 day cool-down period. One single log-in will re-activate your account. The best practice is to write a new cryptic password on a piece of paper, change your password, and then delete your account using the new password. Then when you get the 30 day notice, burn the paper. (assuming Instagram, does the same thing).
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I’ve literally seen people say the Buddha was misogynist while citing passages of him saying “Monks, it is better for you to to insert your penis in a venomous snake than to insert it inside a women”, taking completely out of context that he was literally talking to celibate monks and that in the next line he literally says because if a monk does that he may be born in hell and face immense suffering.
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Yes, this people act like the Buddha is speaking to all men and not exclusively celibate monks.
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“Them, They” of SuttaCentral changed the translation to mendicants in order to change The Buddha’s words to be gender neutral. In this way when he is talking to monks, now he is addressing a mixed sangha. I wouldn’t be surprised if this changes another level and it is later translated to “people.”
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Yeah. this is especially harmful. The problem is people don’t even think of the suttas as being from another language. they just read the english translation and assume its translated correctly.
One of the reasons western Buddhists falsely think one meal a day is required for 8 precepts is because access to insight (at one point pretty much the easiest place to access suttas) translated the uposatha sila as such:
"‘All arahants, for as long as life lasts, eat at one time only and do not partake of food in the evening. They abstain from food at the ‘wrong time’ (vikala bhojana).’
“All of you eat at one time only and do not partake of food in the evening. You abstain from food at the ‘wrong time.’ For all of this day and night, in this manner, you will be known as having followed the arahants, and the Uposatha will have been observed by you. This is the sixth factor of the Uposatha.”
For a random english reader, its easy to see how one can read this in english and have the wrong view that it means one meal a day, as opposed to its actual meaning of one part of the day (the part between sunrise and noon), with the actual one meal a day practice a recommended dhutanga and phrased in pali as a different word entirely. Although i wouldnt be surprised if this translation was pushed by a Dhammayuttika Bhikkhu to purposely mislead people, as the King who founded Dhammayuttika in Thailand made the OMAD dhuthanga mandatory for those who ordain in his order.
SC’s political changes to the texts will be particularly harmful if the sutta happens to say something clearly intended for the context of a male bhikkhu audience.
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