Cultural Patriarchy and Misogyny in Asia
If we look at the social history of Asia, it is clear that women have always been considered inferior to men. They have been seen by men and by themselves as unreliable, given to excess, childish and irrational. Females have also been viewed as potentially dangerous to men, and therefore requiring strict supervision, to prevent extreme behaviour. It has been a kind of gender apartheid.

The Feminist Movement of the West is working toward the eventual and gradual change in global culture from patriarchy to partnership. As part of this global paradigm shift, I have named my vision of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism "Family Buddism."

Family Buddhism sees the challenges and joys of family life, marriage, and child-rearing as a honourable arena for the spiritual growth of all family members. Family Buddhists are seeking Enlightenment as lay people living in families. In this second Millenium, spiritually minded men and women are being asked to leave the monasteries and secluded mountain retreats, to enter mainstream society. Their aspiration is to live according to the teachings of Buddhism, within everyday life as ordinary family members.

Buddhism teaches that, in the spirit of "mindfulness", every activity can be considered a sacred activity. The Japanese cultural practices of Ikebana, Tea Ceremony, Calligraphy, Sumie Painting and Martial Arts are examples of this. They all begin with meditative stillness, followed by mindful movement.

The historical emphasis on "mindfulness" in East Asia appears to have been successfully passed down through the generations. Mindfulness originated in ancient Buddhism, and yet can still be found to-day in the expert craftsmanship shown in Japanese and Chinese manufactured products.

It was Nagarjuna and his contemporaries, in the first century AD, who brought fresh light to the Buddhist teachings. As the founder of Mayayana Buddhism, Nagarjuna taught that all human judgements and intellectual categories were empty and false. He taught that the dichotomy between men and women was false, and between human beings and all other forms of life was false too. All sentient beings possess Buddha-nature (the seed of Buddhahood) and are therefore equal. There can be no hierarchy in Buddhism. Yet these tremendously important insights of the early Mahayanists became gradually forgotten as Buddhism developed later in China. The Confucian family structure of father first, son second, and mother last, became embedded in Chinese Buddhism. Once again, monks emerged as special, superior human beings compared to lay devotees, and this dichotomy has been played out ever since. This same Confucian family model made its way into Buddhist religious expression as it travelled to Korea and Japan.