However, there are substantive reasons why women’s bodies/the female aspect are represented in texts, artworks and images (such as Mother Prajnaparamita) as prime examples/metaphors of how the Buddhist ideal of limitless/unconditional love, compassion, wisdom. In particular, how those qualities are exemplified by women as mothers, in terms of their natural intuition and clarity beyond logic/intellect, and as spiritual consorts and sources of great bliss.
This article does not aim to idealise motherhood either though, many female Buddhist practitioners (with good reason) regard motherhood as a major distraction from the more meaningful “work” of attaining full awakening for the benefit of all beings.
Music? I’m Every Woman by Chaka Khan, I Work For Purpose by Soulvibe Manifest 50ft Queenie by PJ Harvey, and Woman of Desire by Alicœurbrisé. May women’s bodies and minds be placed on the thrones and pedestals they innately deserve!
Women’s bodies: wombs, vaginas, breasts and life-giving
In Buddhism, a woman’s body is viewed as a source of wisdom and bliss. All humans are born from women’s life-giving bodies. Without women as mothers, care-givers, spiritual consorts and teachers, there can be no Buddhas. The woman bears the major “burden” of keeping the human embryo alive for nine months within her body and then the suffering of childbirth. Yet, historically speaking and now, no body is more shamed, objectified, judged, denigrated and policed by men (and women) than a woman’s biology.
The reason why mothers are often cited as prime examples is because not only do most mothers (there are always some exceptions) bear that burden of life-giving (and life-threatening child-birth) but also feed the baby with their breast milk (something that has changed slightly since the advent of the consumer led invention of chemically processed powdered cow’s milk to substitute breast milk) but in most countries mothers still breastfeed their young. As all mothers know, breastfeeding can be tiring and draining too.
In addition, most loving mothers continue to care for their children even when they are naughty, rude, disrespectful, do not listen and even do harmful things. They do not generally abandon them, other than in self-defence, or hate them or want to hurt them, and wish them well. They do not abandon their love for them easily even if they no longer are a part of their child’s life. They may “wrathfully” seek to stop their children acting in harmful ways, but that is done from a place of love and concern, not anger or vengenance.
Guru Padmasabhava himself said to his consort, Yeshe Tsogyel, that although it was more difficult for women to practice (in a male dominated world) as Yeshe Tsogyel sang about, when a woman was set on attaining awakening it was easier for women because of their natural love and compassion, compared to men.
Women’s breasts as life-giving, sexual and sacred
As I wrote in THE “CENSORED” TARA: POWERFUL PASSION VS PRUDISH PURITY. Depictions of women in Buddhist art and literature and the sexual objectification, denigration and censorship of women’s biology and nakedness (2022), in relation to the British Museum’s censorship of this stunning big-bosomed Noble Tār̥ā statue as “obscene”, puritanical views of women’s breasts and bodies were not present in Buddhist countries where the weather is hot and humid.
Women in India were often portrayed topless surrounding the Shakyamuni Buddha, including his mother and aunt/step-mother. Puritanical ideas about women’s breasts came later. That is not to say it is OK to walk around topless necessarily man or woman, but let us have nipple equity when it is suitable for men to be topless online.
The fact that even these days, with so much online porn and sexual images of women everywhere, it is strange that women’s breasts and bare chests are automatically censored on social media, and subject to scrutiny, yet men’s nipples and chests are not, shows the level of sexualisation of breasts (the male gaze) and not on their primary, life-giving biological function (giving milk to babies).
Interestingly a few days ago, in London, a new statue was unveiled of a woman standing up and breastfeeding her baby in London a few days ago. As this report about the statue says: “Globally, women remain drastically underrepresented in monuments. In London, only 4% of statues depict women, and fewer still represent them as mothers…and “This is about putting mothers on the pedestal they deserve.”
Women as Wisdom Prajnaparamita: Mother of all the Buddhas, source of life, bliss and wisdom
The mother of all the Buddhas, Prajnaparamita, Yum Chenmo is also generally represented in a female form and associated with women. This is deliberate symbolism and connected again to the biology and wisdom of women.
For example, the wisdom that gives birth/rise to emptiness arises in the open space/womb (some say private parts) of a woman. For example, Bhagavan (means the Bhaga, private parts). The primordial awareness space which carries the seed of potential for all appearances, is comparable to a mother giving birth.
The natural intuition of woman and the dakini principle of speaking truth and getting to the point by cutting through delusion and inauthenticity
Also, on a more relative/worldly level, women’s intuition is a globally spoken of phenomenon. Women seem to have an uncanny ability to intuit people’s minds, changes in energy etc. which men often do not. Again, that is not to say all women have strong intuition and men do not, but as a general rule we can say this. It cuts through—especially intellect and logic and gets to the point and truth. The dakini principle stands for that intuitive feminine force.
As I spoke about in this reel here, the dakini stands for “space-mover”, someone who can move through space, cutting through delusional/fake energy around them and influence that space and others’ minds.
Women as Vajrayana consorts: source of great bliss, wisdom and full awakening
On the Vajrayana path, women’s bodies on the inner and secret levels contain more of the red essence (men the white) and their secret space/private parts are the space where great bliss can be generated in union with emptiness, with a qualified guru/method and consort. So, again, a woman’s body as the source of great bliss-emptiness is something to be revered and made offerings to.
As I spoke about in this recent short reel, a woman’s full orgasm is also used in the Buddhist Tantras as the metaphor for the experience of great bliss, although in the Vajrayana it lasts a LOT longer and is more intense, spread out and blissful than any worldly orgasm!
This is one of the reasons, along with others, why Atisha and others strongly recommend that monastics should not take the second or third empowerments, and should not visualise themselves in sexual union with women, unless the monastic is a highly realised being with control of the inner winds, channels and nadi, and no attachment/lust for ordinary sexual pleasure. For more on that topic, see my Bhutan Vajrayana conference 2022 talk, recorded here on Going Back to the Female Roots of Vajrayana. However, some argue that when monastics try to do both, it leads to misogynistic confusion because the monastic relies on denigration of women and seeing their bodies as disgusting.
Conclusion
So in conclusion, love, compassion, wisdom are represented predominantly in female form in Buddhism because of their sacred, life and bliss-giving bodies, as mothers and as spiritual partners essential for attaining full awakening in the Vajrayana.
Lovely article, Adele! Thank you. It was informative and inspiring. 🙏❤️