The Attitudes toward the role of women from a religious standpoint Research Paper

The Attitudes toward the role of women from a religious standpoint - Research Paper Example This alludes to the fact that women in Buddhist Asia were, from quite early on, treated much better than their counterparts in other parts of Asia. Most observations on Buddhist women in the late 19th and early 20th century are made by Europeans who found themselves in Asia around this period. The most remarkable feature about Buddhist women to these early writers was their privilege. Sir Charles Bell a British Political Representative in Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim, wrote in 1928 that travelling to Tibet from India and China presents the visitor with an impression that Tibetan women are not kept in isolation as their Indian counterparts. In fact, the Tibetan women mingle with the opposite sex and are consequently at ease with men (Dewaraja 4). The most important thing to note is that the statement women in the world is a reference to European women at that time in history. These women are still struggling to walk shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. In Buddhism, subordination of women is given a religious sanction. According to the Law of Karma, one’s actions in the past will determine one’s position of wealth, power, talent and even sex in future births. One is reborn a woman because of one’s bad Karma. Because of such religious laws, attitudes towards women are not easily changed. Today women in Buddhism much like their predecessors 100 years ago struggle with such challenges. At the forefront of this campaign is Sakyadhita or daughters of Buddha. This is a global network of Buddhist women aimed at improving their status through conferences, dinners and discussion groups. At the turn of the 20th century, the attitude towards the role of women in Christianity was much like that in Buddhism as observed by European Asian settlers. However, women in Christianity during this period were associated with education.