Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. Monastic Buddhism exalts celibacy and has always been male-centric. A gendered study of Buddhism has drawn its primary data solely on the analysis of classical Buddhist texts. Recent scholarship on Buddhism has detected an underlying tension within the Buddhist texts; while some reflect a positive attitude in their assessment of women and the feminine, others are blatantly negative. Traditional knowledge and the history of Buddhism have come from a combination of two sources: ancient texts and study of contemporary devotional practices. Scholarship on the subject of Buddhism and Women is not new and has been in existence now for almost over seven to eight decades. In studies pertaining to the history of Buddhism, the womens question is almost, always addressed in an androcentric manner. The bedrock of present-day works on Buddhism in South Asia is based on the sites explored and identified by Cunningham.