understanding transsexuality in buddhism three schools

[tempuserus]

so i am transsexual most transsexual would say we dont choose this life. i choose to be transsexual before i was born to tell you truth i dont know, was it to identify with the gay community i dont know, i didnt choose the bagage that vame with it. sorry all i suffer from mental illness i am BPD person this may keep me from being a householder i understand. but i do realize some of the greastest masters were considered before becoming monks well crazy but with the influence of modern society.....

so in thailand theravada to be transsexual means we did something wrong in a prevouis life but i am learning that in my past lives this isnt the case could this be wrong. what is the tibetan or vajrayana view is negative,postive, middle etc.

[ronnewmexico]

No one has answered this question so I this uneducated layperson will venture one.
It may not be the best of answers nor best communicated, as I am no scholor of things buddhist, though my practice is derived in the main from Tibetan Buddhism. I may not be even Buddhist.

In a final ultimately considered sense this is stated by Shantideva who is a man from many centuries ago that many schools look too, but particularly Tibetan Buddhists of all kinds, as a expresser of core truths.

To quote:

"All form, therefore, is like a dream,
And who will be attached to it, who thus investigates?
The Body, in this way, has no existence:
What is male, therefore, and what is female"

To quote His Holiness the Dali Lama..."Since the body cannot be found when sought through critical analysis, so the designations we make on the basis of the existence of the body---such as differences of gender and race---are also ultimately devoid of essence. So now, what grounds do we have to generate extreme and volatile emotional responses to people of different gender or race?"

To explain a bit. I assume due to my experience of those who have this status of sex that one in this status feels more compassionate or able to give then what was prior. As this to my personal experience is always the basis for such a thing...compassion. Able to give of oneself more in this state.

So as such it is a compassionate act to do what one does and to be as one is...very compassionate. Most compassionate. It is really for others one does this thing and is this way.
So I personally find that most enheartening and it strengthens my spiritual path by example.

AS to the quotes....it is of no significance ultimately what gender one assumes. Due to circumstance one may be this way one life and another way in another life. Or change in the middle of a life. Karmic fate or tendency precipitates in many forms and for many reasons. For us as humans to say...well this happened for this specific reason....I don't think we can find many that can do such things. Finally considered gender is not so important. To be compassionate is most important.

AS one is more compassionate as a result of this thing this state one is in....one is assuredly more happy than if not.
So that is again a very good thing.

So I can't speak officially for anyone or as a scholor speaks but personally I find not a shread of wrong in it nor a hint that it is a lesser rebirth. Difficult certainly. But also present thusly is the ability by ones example then to show others one can be spiritual and follow a path despite such difficulty.

So I am most enheartened and thank you for sharing your issue and quary.
That is this layperson uneducated opinion on that thing. Thank you for providing the opportunity to share it.

[Luke]

Hi tempuserus,

I am sorry to hear about your suffering. Tranquility and compassion help with all problems. Reciting the refuge prayer is also always very good and helpful.

but i do realize some of the greastest masters were considered before becoming monks well crazy but with the influence of modern society.....

The question is "crazy" by whose definition? To many mainstream people, just finding out that a person practices Buddhism is enough to make them think that he or she is a bit crazy. Actually devoting one's life to Dharma? Most mainstream people would call that "insanity"! But it's better not to worry about foolish people's standards and to concern yourself with the standards of bodhisattvas instead.

so in thailand theravada to be transsexual means we did something wrong in a prevouis life but i am learning that in my past lives this isnt the case could this be wrong. what is the tibetan or vajrayana view is negative,postive, middle etc.

I don't know what the standard Vajrayana opinion is about transsexuals. But we have all done many wrong things in our past lives. This is the reason why we're still stuck in samsara.

Perhaps some monasteries may not let transsexuals receive full ordination. That's the only thing I can think of.

I don't think these kinds of gender issues would limit your spiritual progress at all, though.

All the great living lamas intensely strive to benefit all living creatures--and this certainly includes you!

[tempuserus]

thanks i think i like the idea of finding enlightment through gender, though for some it may be karma. thank you all

[ngodrup]

Post-op Transsexuals have in fact been ordained as monastics
in Tibetan tradition. There is no problem from a vinaya PoV.

Mahayana can be understood to hold that giving pleasure to
others is the main point.

Vajrayana's essence can be said to be maintaining Pure Vision.

[tempuserus]

i aint saying that i pray to this god or mediate on it, this god is teaching the corrolation of buddhism and christentiy. actually i thought that it could be a asura they appears, but you have know the history of the bible at least from the christen version is made of 50 bibles, so we dont know unless ypou meadiate on it if god is an asura or what. i think god again is a deva, a being who has not the human heart who is immearsed into the human world, but believes that he ie a true god and should worshipped as one but this god is as wise but untrained as a bodhisattva. it is said some buddha, bodhisattva use deva for sprititual practice.

i am learning that yes buddhism is the true path to wisdom or reality. yes it can be dangerous without using ones third eye when looking into other faiths but like i said most other religions have a form of buddhism in their beliefs, what if the buddha appeared in some of these teachings in actuality but these people failed to see the new religion so then it is up to a buddhist to ascertain these teachings then. i dont think it is secretarian to beleive that it is possible to learn compassion from an outside course but as a buddhist i word caution when dwelling in this, you have to also realize some practioners of the buddhist faith have merged their beliefs into their system which one is learning respect for differant religions and compassion. i though consider myself only buddhist but see that somewhere some of these beliefs god is somewhere in buddhism more positive then negative. i think i started a fire sorry all. before you bad mouth a religion or complain one must show compassion and wisdom by learning about it not necassarly beleiving in it.

[Heruka]

thanks i think i like the idea of finding enlightment through gender, though for some it may be karma. thank you all

enlightenment is genderless.

all the best.