gsx1138

I was in my Sociology class last week and we split into groups. We were talking about Homosexuality and Asians. One person in the group made the comment that Asians were forced into the closet because of Buddhism. I countered that it was actually the introduction of christianity that caused them to stay in the closet. But he remained steadfast that it was Buddhism that kept homosexual asians in the closet.
I have never heard that Buddhism was against gay people. Could someone shed some light on this subject and tell me (generally) how buddhists feel about homosexuality.

bagong

I'm not going to be smug and say traditional Buddhist society has absolutely no prejudice against homosexuals, but it can't fairly be said that it represses it either. From my limited experience, homosexuals tend to be treated more as somewhat strange eccentrics than as dangerous, sinful, evil creatures.

The Tipi.taka (Buddhist Scriptures) only mention homosexuality in the context of Vinaya (monastic discipline), where no distinction is drawn between it and other forms of sexuality: any intentional act of penetration is grounds for immediate and permanent expulsion from the Sangha, whether it's with a female, male, animal, or supernatural being. Of course, this applies only to monks.

For lay Buddhists, the Buddha discourages excessive lust, adultery, shameless exposure of the body, etc. without explicit reference to gender. Sexual restraint, fidelity, modesty, and responsibility are values that homosexuals can practice just as much as heterosexuals. Ultimately Buddhists believe that all sexual desire causes of suffering and thus should be eliminated, but within the context of ordinary householder life it seems to me the Buddha did not consider homosexuality any better or worse than any other form of sexual desire.

See the Sigalovada Sutta for the most famous exposition of lay Buddhist values.

andy_d

Well Buddhism, like anything else, is hard to seperate from the environment that it's in. A society which repressed sexuality in general or homosexuality in particular would probably incorporate that into their spiritual practice, whether they were Buddhists or not.

However, like bagong said, Buddhism isn't fundamentlly repressive of sexuality. There are restrictions placed on monks, but then they are living a disciplined life, and there are restrictions on many, many other activities. Their purpose is to eliminate distractions (such as unwanted children...these were rules written a long time before there was any birth control) and maintain focus in a very tight direction.

Since it isn't practical for lay Buddhists to try and live in this way, they don't have the same restrictions beyond living your life by taking the "middle way" ie: you can acknowledge and enjoy your sexuality, but should be sensible and mindful of it.

In general I think Buddhism is much more open about sexuality than many systems, particularly the Abrahamic tradition. For example, sexual union is a powerful metaphor which is repeatedly seen in Buddhist art.

EDIT:Might just be relevant to mention that my sangha includes gay people

muon

Traditional Theravadin societies are often very disapproving towards homosexuality. I think your buddy is right that opposition to homosexuality exists perfectly well in Buddhist cultures without any Christian origin. The Dalai Lama has also on occasion said some anti-gay things.

Quite frankly, Buddhism tends to view all sexuality with disapproval, not just homosexuality. It is perfectly correct to assert that Buddhism is much more accepting in principle of homosexuality than Christianity, but on the other hand this hasn't stopped senior monks in the Asian sangha from condemning homosexuality while claiming religious sanction for their views.

Waning Moon Conrad

Sexual misconduct leads to a lower rebirth.

What is sexual misconduct?

Sex with a victim rather than sex with a partner.

This is what a Lama said at the Kalachakra Initiation in Sydney in 1997 (98?) during a question and answer session.

It was my opinion/interpretation before I attended the event and it remains so.

There are some gay gents at one of the dharma centres in Melbourne. Nobody ostracizes them, Rinpoche visits their homes, and took one of them to Tibet with him along with with his (Rinpoche's) wife and several other students who are straight

They don't hide the fact that they're gay but neither do they flaunt it or throw it in anyone's face. Neither have they become single issue people the totality of whose existence revolves around their gayness.

They're literally just blokes who practice dharma and just happen to be gay.

I cannot even begin to comprehend why there should be an issue with their sexuality.

I don't think that Buddhism in itself is a static monolith with a particular attitude to homosexuality. Why should it need one?

Attitudes are a funny thing. Sometimes I think they get heavier the longer you carry them. They're not always what they're cracked up to be. Often they're just a worthless burden.

Godless Dave

I think this is a case where societal values about homosexuality were confused with religious values.

My society is overwhelmingly Buddhist
My society suppresses homosexuality
Therefore, Buddhism suppresses homosexuality.

Which is a false conclusion, because on paper Buddhism has very little to say about homosexuality (as others have pointed out). Likely those societies already condemned homosexuality before Buddhism came along, and nothing in Buddhism led them to abandon that attitude.

Kind of like people in our country who confuse Chistianity with human rights, Christianity with patriotism, or Christianity with racism. They identify themselves as Christian, so they assume that all their values come from Christianity.