During my morning meditation, insights about the Sacred Feminine occurred while I was contemplating
Nicholas Roerich’s paintings of Tibet and the Himalayas, particularly the one he calls “Mother of the World. A subject taken by the
Dharmakirti College.
Roerich’s painting of the “Mother of the World,” as a figure without a face, revealing its condition of great mystery and depth is very inspiring and touching. Its vision touches that depth of energy we call sacred and feminine. His paintings of Himalayan landscapes took me to these mountain tops, which Shri Aurobindo said are within us. In this exercise, I was overcome by the oceanic feeling of overwhelming devotional and evocative emotion. Bliss and insight followed. In that state I also examined the monastic retreat I attend at
TMC and the feminine issues on the Vinaya, we discussed. I also remembered several occasions in which nuns have been offered
khatas by sangha members and how uncomfortable it made them, especially if monks were present. In the same line of thought I tried to remember when I have seen a nun giving empowerment, and I could not remember such an occasion. It is not that women cannot give empowerment, lay practitioners do it all the time, the reality is that women are not comfortable with it or have not been authorized by their mentors to do it, although young monks can do and are encouraged to do it. Despite all the progress that has been achieved regarding women’s condition in our society the sacred feminine archetype is not yet internalized in equal condition with the masculine archetype as representative of the divine archetype. The situation of equality, in which both genders can represent equally the deity’s qualities, is not yet established in our “
collective unconscious.” As it was coined and defined by Carl Jung, the collective unconscious is a product of ancestral experience, “a reservoir of the experience of our species.” . The issue is much bigger than religious orders and even feminism—if feminists do not understand what their task really is.
Jung’s insight explains why men can do it so naturally. Men have internalized the idea of themselves as representatives of the deities and their authority for many millennia. They carry the collective unconscious experience of the species., they have internalized the archetype (deity); men are the patriarchs, the judges, the prophets, the priests, the monks, and the "sons of god" during the age of patriarchalism.
Traditionally men embodied the archetype in their daily lives by being the providers for their families and presiding over the dinner table, religious and governmental ceremonies and ritual. It is true that we are in the middle of a major paradigm shift, however, despite the fact that many women are occupying these positions everywhere, even when continuing to be the carrying nurturers of their families while providing for then, many in equal or superior position than their male counterpart--the truth is that the archetype is not internalized in equal conditions yet. It is only in the last 50 years that women have started to be elevated to that position--
the dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is only 69 years old, 1950; the first woman to hold a position of Prime Minister and the first woman President of a country also happened in the 50s.There is not enough experience accumulated in the memory of the species for the assumption, or ascension of women to an equal place of the divine archetype in the collective unconscious.
To exert authority and receive homage outside the home is not yet natural for women or accepted in many sectors of our society. This is revealed in the way women conduct themselves in a society set up for masculine authority leading women to low self-esteem, looking up for masculine authority and guidance while avoiding conducting religious rituals, even when that will be permited. The shift to achieve balance between the two archetypes is still ahead of us. The alchemical change is yet to take place. We got freedom, freedom to live, to receive equal education, to exert some authority, to speak up to a certain extent, freedom of movement and of self determination, but women have not achieved the level of representation, the energy and the power that comes with the internalization of the symbol.
For monastics in Buddhists monasteries, especially when we share the stage, nuns defer to monks, even in nunneries when some nuns assume a kind of masculine authoritarianism--the model is masculine. It is obviously all more complicated and complex within the
Vinaya system. Women, it is said, created civilization, and democracy is more natural for the feminine aspect than for men, who defer to the authoritarian system. Even when token situations are set up and the situation is apparently of equality, it does not reflect the integration of the archetype in the collective unconscious.
Tibetan Buddhism has a major role to play in this evolution, especially for us Tibetan Buddhist nuns, because it holds the archetypes. However, we need to be aware of the cultural differences and of the meaning of symbols. It is from the monks that we receive the so beautifully preserved and developed teachings and techniques, but awareness in this matter is essential, because they are not prepared to make the change for us. It does not come from within them. As the Dalai Lama alerted as followers of Teachers and Gurus we must keep your own judgment about what we are told, and not follow blindly, despite the recommended devotion. Garchen Rinpoche says that the ultimate guru is within, and it is not suppose to have separate sets of rules for monks and nuns. But they exist. It is very encouraging that we find help in this issue from within our own western culture. Through Carl Yung, we also received the concept of "individuation," which is the realization of our full development as a human being. “Individuation is the process of transforming one’s psyche by bringing the personal and collective unconscious into conscious.Individuation has a holistic healing effect on the person, both mentally and physically.” Jung, C. G.
Carl Yung, received teachings and initiations from a Tibetan Lama in Switzerland, practiced Mudra Tantra and Kundaline yoga, and traveled and studied cultures and traditions throughout the world. According to him this individuation process can only take place with the internalization of the union of the masculine and the feminine inside, which he recognizes is a psychological and a spiritual process. Both in western and Tibetan Vajrayana tradition, this union is symbolically represented by the alchemical union of the sun and the moon. Furthermore Vajrayana offers us the symbolism and the beauty of the yab-yums, male and female deities in blissful union. They also offer us the historical accounts of the realization of many women who attained Buddhahood, and many were elevated to the state of Lineage Protectors.
It all seems very contradictory, since women in Tibetan society still holds the traditional position of a pastoral patriarchal society, full ordination for women was never brought to Tibet, and education was never offered to them within the so many lineages and monasteries. Why then in the pantheon of deities of the lineages we see all these displays of the sacred feminine? The secret resides on the meaning of the sacred feminine for men. The sacred feminine represents the aspect of Transcendent Wisdom in the process of enlightenment. Without developing feminine qualities such as receptivity, nurturing and lovingness their knowledge is just scholarship--not wisdom or realization. Without the feminine aspect they cannot be open and receptive to the "divine" within themselves, and without the integration of the feminine they cannot achieve enlightenment--the entrance of the sun and the moon energy within the central channel. The psychological changes, transform the chemistry of the body which in turn, among other causes and conditions, change the wind--prana energy circulation within the channels. Hence, in most yab-yum representations, the feminine aspect is depicted much smaller that the male aspect, with the male front and the feminine’s back, and it should be so because they are visualizations for the male, they are archetypes for men. The same is not true for women. The imagery has to show the opposite--the female representation has to be larger and the male in union, has to be smaller, with the deity depicted looking forward and the male giving his back to reflect the feminine inner process representing all the qualities to be developed and worked from within by women. This kind of representation hasn’t been taken yet by artist, although recently I heard from a tanka artist friend of mine, that he has seen one painting like that which called his attention because of its uniqueness, but he could not explain the symbolism!!
Although Tibetans and Buddhists in general recognize that women can achieve the same state of Buddhahood as men, and carry the stories of a few women who have achieved and have integrated them into their pantheon, there is no tradition of developing causes and conditions for these achievements for women. Effort is taking place right now by many lineages in India and Tibet, and by the Dalai Lama himself, but it is not yet a priority. Monkhood and priesthood is still a main profession for man in many Buddhist countries and in the west.
Tibetan Buddhism was a powerhouse, a true millenary industry for male achievement. They have developed, tested and implemented thousands of systems for their processes, for the different types of men, not for women. Only a few women were able to achieve enlightenment despite all the adverse cause and conditions. But they were the exception to the rule. We, women-lay and nuns will have to do it for ourselves. We will have to add education, intellect and discrimination, i.e. method and thinking, to our sense of community, nurturing, feeling and wisdom. We have to learn not just how to create and manage monastic houses in the 21rst Century, but how to develop yogas appropriated for women without the excesses of the masculine rational system and develop informal and formal networks to support nuns and their projects. Man have developed formal and informal systems of mutual support, taking apprentices, teaching, mentoring, giving references and placing their favorites in high positions.
As we receive ordination, many of us have to take monks as mentors. Not always they have our best interest in their directives. I have seen young western novice monks immediately given functions as teachers as well as centers tin which to work and direct, some times unprepared for those functions. The same is not true for women, even for accomplished, mature women, with high education with a life long spiritual and religious training. Some monks expect us to take positions as secretaries instead of writers or teachers when they are capable of taking these roles. We will have to work the differences with true humbleness and lovingness, listening to the divine feminine intuition, sometimes taking issue with our mentors which can be a difficult task because of the devotion involved. But that is the riddle of our times, as would say
Marie Louse von Franz, a Jungian analyst. The search for the solution of this riddle is the task that each one of us has to take for our individuation process and ultimately to achieve enlightenment(
more).
Some Yoginis such as
Machig Labdron,
Sukhasiddhi,
Achi Drolma and
Niguma, among a few others, who achieved in their own authority, without being a consort, and became Buddhas on their own right, had to face tremendous hardship and discrimination within their society, their families and from the monks to be able to practice and receive the teachings they needed for achievement. Even while learning about the science of energy, winds and channels from the monks, we have to be aware. Some women's channels are on different sides than those of men. Most monks don't know this. In some yogas like Dream Yoga, we need to learn the proper position for women to lie down, the lion position is inversed, it is not the same, etc. There are books and teachers who are aware of that, but not all.
We have a long way to go in a road less traveled. There is much we can learn from the monks, but there is much that we will have to work out by ourselves. Fortunately, there are some good heroine models both in Tibetan pantheon and within the Western tradition, which offer us larger than life figures such as the pioneer work of contemporary western Tibetan Buddhist nuns, and the ones like the recently discovered Catholic giant of spirituality, wisdom and creativity, the now famous religious artist, abbess, musician, healer, founder of monasteries, counselor of kings and popes--Hildegard von Bingen of the 12th century. The question is how did they do it, how are they doing it?
We must continue to share experiences and reflections, but the biggest work is within ourselves, it is practice. By practicing properly and understanding what we are doing we will help each other and ourselves in this amazing human journey.
The first step is to use the quality of divine pride taught by the devotional aspect of deity yoga and develop the pride and dignity of the Sacred Feminine in us, which is none other than self-esteem so many times confused with human pride and arrogance. If we give rise to the deity and keep our visualization of the deity during the day while we act as nuns or lay leaders officiating rituals, give blessings, give talks and teach, then we can develop this kind of dignity and internalize the Sacred Feminine, (
Garchen Rinpoche said that we can only help when we rise as the deity). That will start to deepen the process of self-esteem (internalization) extending its roots to the sacred feminine ground within. This exercise coming from a monastic community can be a powerful force within the species collective unconscious towards the integration of the Sacred Feminine archetype in equal conditions to the masculine.
May the merits of this contemplation benefit all sentient beings for now and times to come, and advance the evolution of humanity with the blessings of the Great Mother Tara.
