A week ago I was asked to present closing remarks at a national convention, TransFaith In Color. This was the third year of the TransFaith meeting and this year set a record for largest attendance. The following is the text of my closing remarks for that event.
TransFaith in Color Closing Service
Good morning, thank you all so much for allowing me to join with you as you celebrate a weekend together learning, growing, and communing.
I originally had planned to be present for more of the activities this weekend I was unfortunately called away both by work and some personal illness. But all the weekend I kept you all in my thoughts and in my heart.
I grew up in New Orleans, a wonderful experience for me the inquisitive and exploring young gay boy. The early to late 60’s will always be in my mind the golden age of New Orleans. I remember fondly the French Quarter, both day and night. I was not a stranger to gender variety.
As young Marine in Hawaii in the 70’s I knew many in the Transgender community. I knew several in the Transgender community who either had been to Switzerland or who were dreaming of going there to have gender reassignment surgeries.
All of this being said, I must admit that I personally didn’t really grasp the concept of Gender orientation, especially in ways that it is discussed currently. A couple of years ago I met a wonderful woman by the name of Pamela Jones. Some of you may have known her. We met quite by accident at the LGBT Center here in Charlotte. One thing led to another and we communicated more and she invited me to a meeting of Charlotte Gender Alliance.
I was honored to have known Pam for several years before she passed away roughly a year ago. The gift I was given by Pam was a gift to appreciate the concept of gender and self in ways that I had never considered. Recently I have been doing some presentations at a group called Time Out Youth, and while we haven’t gotten into it deeply I have been even further exposed to this concept of personal gender identity.
Let me say at this point my mind is totally blown away. I find this whole thing so wonderfully beautiful and yet so baffling. What I find exciting is that there are so many people like you all who are on the ground working this stuff. This is something so praiseworthy and so far from what was considered possible even a few years ago.
So how do I inform my Buddhist belief and how do my Buddhist teachings guide me?
Notice I said how do I inform my Buddhist belief. I did that intentionally because for me being gay, being male, being all of the little things we use to identify and make me unique, as inseparable from me being Buddhist. Buddhism does not cause me to limit myself but instead to understand myself. Buddhism then works with that understanding to forge a path of enlightenment for myself and others.
Think back if you will roughly 3000 years ago. We are in India, but really we could be anywhere in the world. Women are considered unclean, property for ownership, impure especially when they are in their menstrual cycle. In Indian society women were considered to have the five impurities, which prevent them from attaining enlightenment.
Then the Buddha comes a long and teaches the Lotus Sutra. In this teaching not once but several times he makes it clear that women are equal when it comes to attaining enlightenment. This was a completely revolutionary concept, and honestly caused some discomfort among some of the men in the congregation and Buddhist community at the time.
There is a famous story in the Lotus Sutra about the daughter of the Dragon King. In this story one of the Buddha’s contemporary disciples who was famous for his intellect, he was the know it all of the Buddha’s disciples asked if there was anyone who had actually been able to attain enlightenment by practicing this Lotus Sutra. The Buddha turned to another of his disciples named Manjusri and asked him about the Dragon King’s Daughter.
“The sutra is exceedingly profound and wonderful. This is the treasure of all the sutras. It is rare in the world. Do you know anyone who acted according to this sutra so strenuously that he has already been qualified to become a Buddha quickly?
Manjusri answered
‘Yes. There is a daughter of Dragon-King Sagara among those whom I taught. She is eight years old. She is clever. She knows the karmas of all living beings. She obtained Dharanis. She keeps all the treasury of the profound and hidden core expounded by the Buddhas. She entered deep into dhyana-concentration, and understood all teachings. She aspired for Bodhi in a ksana, and reached the stage of irrevocability. She is eloquent without hindrance. She is compassionate towards all living beings just as a mother is towards her babe. She obtained all merits. Her thoughts and words are wonderful and great. She is compassionate, humble, gentle and graceful. She has already been qualified to attain Bodhi, and to become a Buddha quickly.’” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter XII)
I would like to point out here that not only was this individual a woman but she was just eight years old. This sort of throws out the window the idea that enlightenment is not possible for children or women. Further it should be noted that this girl was the daughter of a dragon. In this one section we have the teaching by the Buddha that enlightenment is not just for men, not even just for humans but that all life equally possess the potential for enlightenment.
Ok, so next in the sutra the disciple says he doesn’t believe it that he will need to see it with his own eyes.
“’I do not believe that this girl will be able to attain perfect enlightenment, that is, to become a Buddha in a moment.’ No sooner had he said this than the daughter of the dragon-king came to Sakyamuni Buddha. She worshipped his feet with her head, retired, stood to one side, and praised him with gathas:” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter XII)
To make this all a tad bit shorter let me just tell you that she went to the Buddha offered him a gem which he accepted, then said to the doubting disciple that she would attain enlightenment even faster.
“She said, ‘Look at me with your supernatural powers! I will become a Buddha more quickly.’ Thereupon the congregation saw that the daughter of the dragon king changed into a man all of a sudden, performed the Bodhisattva practices, went to the Spotless World in the south, sat on a jeweled lotus-flowers, attained perfect enlightenment, obtained the thirty-two major marks and the eighty minor marks of the Buddha, and began to expound the Wonderful Dharma to the living beings of the worlds of the ten quarters.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter XII)
Here we have a woman, a daughter of the Dragon King, a child, who changes into a man and not only becomes enlightened but also saves countless people by her teaching and efforts.
Now whether or not you want to consider this a true case of gender change I still think it is noteworthy how really unimportant gender identification and gender norms are when it comes to attaining enlightenment.
In Buddhism we teach that our enlightenment is the result of our own inner journey, of practicing the Eight Right Ways, of understanding the true nature of cause and effect and dependent origination. We all have a unique and individual journey but none of us is handicapped, none of us is disqualified, and none of us need fit the mold or standard of someone else.
We all have unique potentials and we all are absolutely necessary for the happiness of others. We need each other in order to be self-fulfilled. Every contact and interaction I have with any other individual makes my life greater and richer. Just as the daughter shattered the myths and prejudices of the male contemporaries of the Buddha let us all with the beauty of our lives change the prejudices of society. Let’s do it with love!
Thank you again for all you are doing and for letting me be a small part of those efforts.
