Celebration of Scholars
Peace for the Women of the Therigathas
Name:
Morgan Taylor
Major: Music Education and Vocal Performance
Hometown: Elmhurst, IL
Faculty Sponsor: James Lochtefeld
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Abstract
The female literary canon is far less developed than the male. Although due to many factors, the overriding reason is the patriarchal default which silences the feminine voice; in any society, the wants and needs of men are always more important and receive more attention than the needs of women. The sources that represent early women and their place in society are few and far between, but one of the earliest texts to do so still resonates today. This research analyzes the Therigathas, “Songs of the Elder [Women]”, from the Buddhist Pali Canon which is a collection of songs, or gathas, that provide varied accounts of the experiences of the earliest Buddhist women. These women were wives and mothers who broke the bonds of societal expectations to become nuns. For women to engage in religious activity to the point of realization was unprecedented during the time of the Buddha. Their rights as women paled in comparison to the rights of men and their social mobility was virtually nonexistent. I argue that these poems clearly show that despite the pressures of sexist cultural norms, the women of the Therigathas used their religious practices as a way to transcend restrictions.Submit date: April 3, 2020, 1:32 a.m.