27/04/2024
Tomara Garrod writing in the Buddhist magazine Lion's Roar, explores how living beyond the gender binary can be liberating and reflective of the Buddhist tradition. Tomara writes "To enter the Buddha way, the bodhisattva must let go of dualistic thinking. As the sixth-century Zen master Kanchi Sosan said in his poem “Shinjinmei,” “Entering the way is not difficult, but you must not love, or hate, or choose, or reject.” In his commentary of “Shinjinmei,” American Zen teacher Philippe Rei Ryu Coupey explains that when Kanchi Sosan advised us to let go of love, he was referring to a “narrow love, based on you and me” and the personal differences between us. This is the love that makes us put our friends and family first, above the rest of the world. The love of the Buddha way is broader than this. It is, says Coupey, an all-encompassing “compassion that takes place when there is no difference between man and woman.” Entering the way is not difficult, if we can loosen the hold that everyday prejudices have on us. In feminist circles, it’s often said that the gender binary is a social construct. In the language of Zen, we might say it’s ku. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Money is also a social construct, but try telling that to your landlord next time rent is due! Living nonbinary doesn’t mean escaping the gender binary. Quite the opposite. Nonbinary people regularly face the prejudices of a world clinging to dualities. This means finding the courage to live with these prejudices. Similarly, bodhisattvas don’t disappear into nirvana. They stay in this world and vow to work for the liberation of those sharing it with them. Such a vow is grounded in the realization that all are capable of liberation. In the same way, living nonbinary articulates the faith that freedom from dualities is a possibility for all of us. For Tomara's full article, you can visit for free the Lion's Roar website, available via all search engines.
https://www.lionsroar.com/beyond-the-binary/
