Jordan Peterson: The Story of the Buddha

(Bite-sized Philosophy) Jordan Peterson: The Story of Buddha

Seriously sick Professor Jordan Peterson seems to be hallucinating or conflating as he pontificates on the allegory of the "Story of the Buddha" mixing it up with the Christian interpretation of the "Story of Adam and Eve" and Paradise Lost in terms of Joseph Campbell' "hero's journey."

Animated allegory: Life of the Buddha

(See U in History - Mythology) Story of the Buddha: Prince Siddhartha Gautama (complete)

Adam and Eve doomed

Proved his point 😂 #faith #adamandeve #christians

All is mind, mind is all: Yogachara

(SEEKER TO SEEKER) How the mind creates reality | Buddhism

Nagarjuna advocates "Middle Way"

Yogachara (Sanskrit Yogācāra) is an influential tradition of Buddhist philosophy and psychology emphasizing the study of cognition, perception, and consciousness through the interior lens of meditation and philosophical reasoning (hetuvidyā) [1, 2].

Yogachara was one of the two most influential traditions in Mahayana Buddhism in India, along with Madhyamaka [3].

The compound Yogā-cāra literally means "practice of yoga" or "one whose practice is yoga." Hence, the name of the school is literally "the School of the Yogins" [4, 3].

Shanta Rakshita (Khenchen Bodisatva)

Yogācāra was also variously termed Vijñānavāda (the Consciousness Doctrine), Vijñaptivāda (the Ideas or Perceptions Doctrine), or Vijñaptimātratā-vāda (the "Mere Representation" Doctrine), which is also the name given to its major theory of mind that seeks to deconstruct how we perceive the world.

There are several interpretations of this main theory, which include various forms of idealism as well as phenomenology or representationalism.

Aside from this, Yogācāra also developed an elaborate analysis of consciousness (vijñāna) and mental phenomena (dharmas, "things"), as well as an extensive system of Buddhist spiritual practice, namely, yoga [1],

Tibetan thangka of Dolpopa

The movement has been traced to the first centuries of the common era and seems to have evolved as some yogis of the Sarvāstivāda and Sautrāntika traditions in North India adopted Mahayana Buddhism [5, 6].

The brothers Asaṅga and Vasubandhu (circa 4-5th century) are considered the classic philosophers and systematizers of this school, while it is also traditionally attributed by Buddhist believers to the figure of Maitreya-nātha [7].

Yogācāra was later imported to Tibet and East Asia by figures like Shantaraksita (8th century) and Xuanzang (7th century).

Today, Yogācāra ideas and texts continue to be influential subjects of study for Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism and East Asian Buddhism. More

FREE: The 'Higher Doctrine' (Abhidhamma)

 

Unraveling the Mysteries of Mind

and Body through Abhidhamma

AUTHOR: Sayalay Susila

EDITOR: Dhr. Seven (Wisdom Quarterly)

FOREWORD: Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw Bhaddanta Accina

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammāsambuddhassa

("Homage to the Exalted, the Worthy, the Supremely Self-Awakened One").

INTRODUCTION

Unravelling Abhidhamma

"Mind leads the world" (Dhp 1). Is this really true? Only when we understand how the mind works will we truly know. Mind is something close to us yet very far away. Mind is the culprit behind all of our unwholesome karma (thought, speech, deed), yet it is also the director of all of our skillful, wholesome behavior, deeds that soothe the heart.

The study of Abhidhamma helps us gain an understanding of how the mind works, which is essential for us to lead happy and blameless lives. In Abhidhamma, the ultimate realities of mind and matter that make up this so-called "living being" are seen to be an impersonal stream of consciousness-moments and infinitesimally small particles that continuously arise and pass away utterly dependent on causes and conditions.

So the study of Abhidhamma helps the mind shed the painful illusion of there being an “I,” a permanent self persisting through all experiences.

Most of the problems of life spring from ignorance and craving associated with this “I” and the self-centeredness that is its offspring. When the mind understands that there is, in an ultimate sense, no such “I,” it will let go of intense clinging.

The truth sets us free. To be more precise, knowing-and-seeing what is ultimately true sets us free. Life’s problems suddenly evaporate. All becomes light. We awaken to truth and are freed from all forms of suffering.

This can be accomplished through a thorough study of Abhidhamma and practical meditation experiences.

The Abhidhamma Pitaka is one of the "three baskets" (tipitaka), the three divisions of the Buddha’s teachings. Abhidhamma is a combination of two terms, abhi ("higher, special, sublime") and Dhamma ("universal truth or teaching"). Therefore, Abhidhamma is the "higher teaching" of the Buddha or the "Doctrine in ultimate terms."

This Dhamma is grounded in observable truth and reality one is able to directly experience. It is not a faith or belief system. It is not a metaphysical "theory," as some portray it, but rather a systematic explanation and guide to how it is possible for earnest meditators to directly know-and-see, finally culminating in enlightenment (bodhi).

All physical and mental phenomena are fully classified and explained in the system of Abhidhamma. That is why the Theravada Buddhist tradition regards the Abhidhamma as the most perfect exposition on the true nature of existence, realized by the penetrative wisdom of a supremely enlightened ene.

Truth

Ven. Dr. Pa Auk Sayadaw

According to Abhidhamma philosophy, there are two types of truth. The first is conventional truth (sammuti sacca), which refers to ordinary concepts, such as “tree,” “house,” “human,” “you,” “me,” “person,” “body,” “being,” and so on. Such concepts are closely linked to language, culture, and conditioning.

We assume that these concepts are objective realities, that they actually exist. They seem to exist, yes, but if we were to examine these concepts closely, we would find that they in no way exist as irreducible entities. Why? They can be broken down into smaller and smaller components.

For example, if we discern the Four Elements (the characteristics of matter) in the body, the “body” breaks down into innumerable, infinitesimal particles (kalapas). If we further analyze these particles, they also break down. We find that each particle contains eight inseparable elements or characteristics:

1. earth (solidity),
2. water (cohesion),
3. fire (temperature),
4. wind (movement),
5. color,
6. smell,
7. taste,
8. nutritive essence.

These elements are the final, irreducible components of matter (material existence). By penetrating conventional truth with wisdom, we can eventually realize ultimate truth.

Ultimate truth (paramattha sacca), according to Abhidhamma, means something that cannot be further broken down or subdivided into smaller components. It is a final and irreducible part of existence, which exists by reason of its own intrinsic nature (sabhāva).

For example, the earth-element in our human bodies, as well as in other animate things, exists with its intrinsic nature of hardness or softness, whereas the fire-element exists with its intrinsic nature of heat or cold. While a body is conventional truth, the elements that make up the body are the final, irreducible components of its existence, and no amount of analysis can break them down any further.

Of these two types of truth, Abhidhamma deals primarily with ultimate truth.

This book is divided into three parts. The first describes ultimate truths. In Abhidhamma, ultimate truth is fourfold:

1. Consciousness (conditioned phenomena)
2. Mental factors (conditioned)
3. Matter (conditioned)
4. Nirvana (unconditioned).

The first three of these ultimate truths comprise the totality of conditioned existence. Together, consciousness and mental factors are what we conventionally call the “mind” on the one hand. Matter, on the other hand, is what we conventionally call the “body.”

The successive coming together of mind-and-matter is what we conventionally call “I,” a person, human being, animal, or whatever the case may be.

The concept “I” is a conventional truth, whereas consciousness, mental factors, and matter are ultimate truths. These three ultimate truths are conditioned dhammas (phenomena) produced by causes and conditions, subject to radical change, dissolution, constant fading away, and are hurtling toward destruction.

They are subtle and profound dhammas that cannot be seen with the ordinary eye. However, they can be discerned by a mind well trained in concentration and insight.

Nirvana (nibbana), the fourth ultimate truth, is unconditioned. That is to say, it is not produced by any cause or condition. Therefore, it does not change. Nirvana can be experienced here and now.

The Buddha's path-of-practice is gradual (progressive) training in higher virtue, higher concentration, and higher wisdom. TO BE CONTINUED

• Unravelling the Mysteries of Mind and Body Through Abhidhamma (PDF)
• To order a physical copy of the latest edition, email Bro Low at janaka.low@gmail.com
• sayalaysusila.net/dhamma-gallery/books
• EDITORIAL NOTE: When the nun asked me to edit the first edition of this book, which is based on her very popular PowerPoint presentations, I did so thinking the final version would be run by me. It was not. Many hands contributed, often undoing much of the consistency I put in place. It went back and forth so often that I left it to her to leave it a mishmash. But here the standard American (rather than British) grammar is restored as is the choice of translated Pali and Sanskrit terms. These are minor issues but important to any editor. Much was fixed by the time of our third edition but imperfectly so.

INWARD PATH PUBLISHER, Penang • Malaysia. Originally published in Inward Journey Book Series (2005), an imprint of Inward Path Publisher for FREE distribution. This newly revised edition 2012 is published to support the establishment of Appamada Vihari, an International Meditation Center, where Sayalay Susila is the abbess. An Inward Wisdom Book. Published by INWARD PATH PUBLISHER. 14 Phuah Hin Leong Road, off Burma Road, 10050 Georgetown, Penang, MALAYSIA, P.O. Box 1034 General Post Office, 10830 Georgetown, Penang, MALAYSIA.

• email: ijbook@inwardpath.org
• inwardpathpublisher@gmail.com
• inwardpath.org

Text copyright © Sayalay Susila 2005-2012. Layout and design copyright © Inward Path Publisher 2005-2012. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner, any form, or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher and author. Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia cataloguing-in-publication data Sayalay Susila, 1963, Unravelling the Mysteries of Mind & Body Through Abhidhamma/Sayalay Susila. ISBN 978-983-3512-03-4.1. Abhidharma.   2. Dharma (Buddhism).   3. Mind and Body-Religious aspects--Buddhism.  I. Title. 294.3824. Cover design and book layout by Sunanda Lim. Printed in Penang, Malaysia.

Naked: How to get NUDE with us (1/18)

(Chase Hughes) What it feels like to see through and inside into other people (and ourselves)

Self-help can hold us back

(Chris Williamson) The lie that keeps us insecure forever: Dr K Healthygamer

WHAT HAPPENED?

The "all" that is burning was like a dream.

We gathered, cleaned, offered dana and took the Five Precepts with the abbot, ate lunch, meditated, then culminated the day with a chanting of the Patthana ("Conditional Relations"), and a Q&A period with the Sayadaw explaining that all things (composites) are "empty," which is to say utterly impersonal. This, however, is only true for one who knows and sees. One can directly see all manner of physical and psychological (material and mental phenomena) particles, kalapas and cittas and see that they are not "self" just as the historical Buddha saw. But why would anyone want to see such a thing?

This is "awakening" from the illusion of the suffering we identify as we remain tenaciously attached to the Five Aggregates clung to as self. What, then, if we were to let go? Of course, we do not have the power to let go. Form will not let go of form, feelings will not give up feeling, perceptions will not stop perceiving, mental formations will not give up fabricating our reality, and consciousness will not stop processing stimuli and data from the outside world.

Alan Watts on letting go: This whole thing (samsara) is an illusion

So we can get or stay dressed?

And so long as the illusion lasts that these five heaps take all of this to be the work of a soul or self (atta, atman, jiva), the possessions of a self (I, me, and mine), just so long will suffering continue and get worse. To be done with it, to lay the burden down, we must bring about calm and focus -- sustained attention to see things as they really are. When that is seen, letting go happens by itself. A woman clutches a rope. How long will it take her to let go in horror and disgust when she realizes it is a venomous snake?

Just so, the aggregates cling to the aggregates (and all that they feel belong to this imaginary "self" or "soul" or "ego" they are constantly constructing). How long will it take to let go when they realize that all of this has been impersonal, impossible to satisfy (because things can never offer fulfillment), and radically impermanent (arising, turning, and hurtling toward destruction)? In an instant of seeing, one clings no more. Therefore, to get there, let us let the mind/heart settle into stillness, develop clear-seeing (vipassana), and awaken to direct insight of the Truth. The Truth will set us free.

EVENT: Adults getting nude in L.A.

Register: Dharma Buddhist Meditation

This Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, go to Temple or Church, preferably some place silent and contemplative. We'll be at the new Buddhist temple in the San Gabriel Valley doing "good karma," cleaning and building it up to make a lovely place for everyone to come practice the historical Buddha's authentic teachings preserved in a Southeast Asian country that honors the Pali canon while sitting next to Mahayana China.

Six-Minute X-Ray: Rapid Behavior Profiling

Pole dancing is sexy stripper training.

Author and profiler Chase Hughes (narrated by Jonam Ross) has 4.8 out of 5 stars (with 1,754 reviews) and has a #1 Best Seller in Physiological Aspects in Psychology.

With skills specifically designed for intelligence operations (intel ops), Chase Hughes releases yet another groundbreaking audiobook. In Six Minute X-Ray, learn the most powerful people-reading system in the world.

Hughes exposes and unpacks simple techniques that come together to allow anyone to see beyond the mask that people are wearing. In less than six minutes, know more about the hidden side of the person speaking than their own friends and family -- no joke.

(N.A.S.A.) "Electric Flowers" (Mario C. Remix) ft. Nina Persson, RZA

How to see behind the masks we wear:

• 

  Masks we wear may be better?

  Identify anyone's (including our own) hidden fears and insecurities in less than five minutes
• Quickly and easily get an 80 percent read of a person before meeting
• Enable people to become the most vulnerable, open, confident, and best version of themselves during the first six minutes of meeting them
• Discover hidden secrets about a person in six minutes to gain access to their most hidden beliefs and values
• Use this information to create undivided attention and cooperation
• Exactly how to tune in and adapt language to the internal language of anyone speaking

(N.A.S.A.) My grief says, "I need you to know I need you."

Alan Watts: Mind over Mind | self-improvement, grace, paradox of control

• 

  Rapid Behavior Profiling: Lying? Grief?

  Detect deception the moment it occurs, and know exactly how to deal with it
• Professionally qualify or disqualify the person or team being met within the first meeting
• Get past the social and corporate mask of people – and see them as they are
• Determine the truth behind the desires, fears, and motivations of a counterpart, even when they don’t say it
• Read a room of people like a special agent – guaranteed
• Recognize dominance, fears, and needs before speaking with the person or group
• Become aware of your own social needs and weaknesses and prevent yourself from being misled or manipulated
• Instantly identify the physical position to take when speaking with a person of interest
• Create rapport with the person instead of the mask they’re wearing
• And much more... More

Who is CHASE HUGHES? He's former intel who also wrote The Behavior Ops Manual.

• Why the world is the way it is: POWER
• Chase Hughes, amazon.com; Alan Watts; Nina Persson, RZA (N.A.S.A.); Ashley Wells, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Shauna Schwartz, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Curing the Five Hindrances of mind/heart

(Venerable Gotami) Stuck in life? These Five Things (Hindrances) are hold you back

1. Sense craving (kāmacchanda): seeking pleasure through the five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and physical feeling.
2. Ill-will (vyāpāda): feelings of anger, hostility, vengefulness, resentment, hatred, and bitterness.
3. Sloth-and-torpor (thīna-middha): mental and physical lack of energy with little to no ability to make effort toward samadhi or concentration.
4. Restlessness-and-worry (uddhacca-kukkucca): the inability to calm the mind and bring it to stillness (samadhi) and focus one's energy.
5. Skeptical doubt (vicikiccha): lack of confidence, conviction, faith in the practice and one's ability to succeed in calm and insight toward enlightenment and liberation.

• The Five Hindrances (pancha-nívarana)

Etymology

According to Gil Fronsdal, the Pali term (nīvaraṇa) translated as "hindrance" actually means "covering." What these hindrances cover over are: the clarity of our mind, as well as our ability to be mindful, wise, concentrated, and stay on purpose [1].

According to earlier translations by Rhys Davids, the Pali term nīvaraṇa (Sanskrit nivāraṇa) refers to an obstacle or hindrance in the ethical sense, usually enumerated in a set of five [7].

In Pali language literature: Pali canon

In the Pali canon's Samyutta Nikaya, several sutras or discourses juxtapose the Five Hindrances with the Seven Factors of Enlightenment (satta-bojjhanga) [a].

For instance, according to SN 46.37, the Buddha states: "Meditators, there are these Five Hindrances, obstructions, corruptions of mind, weakeners of wisdom. What are the five?

1. Sensual craving...
2. ill-will...
3. sloth-and-torpor...
4. restlessness-and-remorse...
5. skeptical doubt...

"There are, meditators, these Seven Factors of Enlightenment, which are nonhindrances, nonobstructions, noncorruptions of mind/heart. When cultivated and developed, they lead to the realization of the fruit of true knowledge and liberation. 

"What are the seven? The enlightenment factor of mindfulness... equanimity... [8][b]."

Ven. Anālayo emphasizes: To overcome the hindrances, to practice satipatthana [the Four Foundations], and to establish the awakening factors [the Seven Factors of Enlightenment] are, indeed, according to several Pali discourses, the key aspects and the distinctive features common to the awakenings of all buddhas of the past, present, and future [9].

Ven. Anālayo supports this by identifying that, in all extant Sanskrit and Chinese versions of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse (Satipatthana Sutta), only the Five Hindrances and Seven Factors of Enlightenment are consistently identified under the dhamma contemplation section.

Contemplations of the Five Aggregates clung to as self, Six Sense Bases and Four Noble Truths are not included in one or more of these non-Pali language versions [9].

In terms of gaining insight into and overcoming the Five Hindrances, according to the discourse on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the Buddha proclaimed:

 

"How, meditators, does a meditator live contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the Five Hindrances? Herein [within this Doctrine and Discipline], meditators, when sense-craving is present, one knows, "There is sense-craving in me."

When sense-craving is not present, one knows, "There is no sense-craving in me."

One knows how the arising of the non-arisen sense-craving comes to be; one knows how the abandoning of the arisen sense-craving comes to be; and one knows how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned sense-craving comes to be [10]. More: The Five Hindrances

Why does WQ talk about such things?!

The danger of seeing what others don’t: Alan Watts

(Alan Watts Daily Wisdom) Oct. 10, 2025: Alan Watts Collection. Ever feel like you see too much? In this profound lecture, let's explore the experience of the highly perceptive person—the one who walks into a room and instantly feels the unspoken tensions, hidden sorrows, and secret truths.

Rebel Truth "All I Know" (Not So Quiet on the Western Front)

This Alan Watts talk reveals why this "gift" of clear-seeing (vipassana, "insight") can be the most dangerous thing you'll ever possess.

Discover the four hidden dangers of being deeply intuitive:

1. the profound isolation of living in a different reality,
2. the impossible choice between speaking truth and losing yourself,
3. the pain of becoming a target for those who prefer illusion, and
4. the devastating risk of losing your own identity by absorbing the emotions of others.

I can even meditate in city traffic and chaos.

This isn't about being "too sensitive"; it's about navigating a world that isn't ready for your clarity.

This is a complete guide to transforming this potential curse back into a gift. Learn the art of "conscious distance"—how to see clearly without the compulsion to fix, how to protect your energy, and how to hold your awareness as a quiet strength rather than an unbearable burden.

Stop trying to WAKE UP the world and, instead, learn to live peacefully with your own eyes wide open.

If this message resonates with your experience, please give the video a thumbs up and subscribe for more deep insights to help navigate life with greater wisdom.

💬 Join the conversation:

• What is the most challenging part of seeing what others don't? Share experiences in the comments.

Disclaimer: All content on this channel is for inspirational and entertainment purposes only. The ideas shared are not a substitute for professional advice. This channel is not officially affiliated with any specific philosopher or their estate. All materials are used under the principles of fair use, and no copyright infringement is intended. The channel aims to share timeless wisdom in a respectful manner. For a deeper understanding, please refer to original works where applicable.

TAGS: #empath #hsp #highlysensitiveperson #psychology #lifelessons #wisdom #philosophy #selfawareness #mentalhealth #boundaries #emotionalintelligence #intuition #consciousness #selfimprovement #personaldevelopment #motivation #inspiration #spiritualawakening #deepthinking #isolation #protectyourenergy

How much PAIN would you rather? (sutra)

Ven. Sujato (trans.) Salla Sutta (SuttaCentral.net) edited by Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

“Mendicants, an unlearned ordinary person feels pleasant, painful, and neutral feelings. A learned noble disciple [one anywhere along the four stages of enlightenment] also feels pleasant, painful, and neutral feelings. What, then, is the difference between a learned noble disciple and an ordinary unlearned person?”

“Our teachings are rooted in the Buddha. …”

“When an unlearned ordinary person experiences painful physical feelings, she or he sorrows and wails and laments, beating the breast and falling into confusion. One experiences two feelings, physical and mental.

One is bad enough. Why make it worse?

“It is like a person who is struck by an arrow only to be struck with a second arrow. That person experiences the feeling of two arrows.

“In the same way, when an unlearned ordinary person experiences painful physical feelings, one sorrows and wails and laments, beating one’s breast and falling into confusion. One experiences two feelings, physical and mental.

“When one is touched by painful feeling, one resists it. The underlying tendency for revulsion [aversion, resistance, hate, dosa] towards painful feeling underlies that.

“When touched by painful feeling, one looks forward to enjoying sensual pleasures. Why is that? It is because an unlearned ordinary person does not understand any other escape from painful feeling apart from [the temporary and unfulfilling distraction of] sensual pleasures.

“Since one looks forward to enjoying sensual pleasures, the underlying tendency to greed [lust, craving, grasping, clinging, lobha] for pleasant feeling underlies that.

“One does not truly understand feelings’ origin, disappearance, gratification, drawback, and escape. The underlying tendency to ignorance [delusion, confusion, wrong view, moha] about neutral feeling underlies that.

“If one feels a pleasant feeling, one feels it attached. If one feels a painful feeling, one feels it attached. If one feels a neutral feeling, one feels it attached.

“One is called an unlearned ordinary person who is attached [clinging] to rebirth, old age, and death, to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress, one who is attached to suffering [disappointment, unsatisfactoriness], I say.

Noble disciples

“When a learned noble disciple experiences painful physical feelings, one does not sorrow nor wail nor lament, beating one’s breast and falling into confusion. One experiences one feeling: physical, not mental.

“It is like a person who is struck by an arrow but not struck by a second arrow. That person would only experience the feeling of one arrow.

“In the same way, when a learned noble disciple experiences painful physical feelings, one does not sorrow nor wail nor lament, beating the breast and falling into confusion. One experiences one feeling, physical, not mental.

“When one is touched by painful feeling, one does not resist it. There is no underlying tendency for revulsion towards painful feeling underlying that.

“When touched by painful feeling, one does not look forward to enjoying sensual pleasures. Why is that? It is because a learned noble disciple understands an escape from painful feeling apart from sensual pleasures.

“Since one does not look forward to enjoying sensual pleasures, there is no underlying tendency to greed for pleasant feeling underlying that.

“One truly understands feelings’ origin, disappearance, gratification, drawback, and escape. There is no underlying tendency to ignorance about neutral feeling underlying that.

“If one feels a pleasant feeling, one feels it detached. If one feels a painful feeling, one feels it detached. If one feels a neutral feeling, one feels it detached.

“One is called a learned noble disciple who is detached from rebirth, old age, and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress, one who is detached from suffering, I say.

“This is the difference between a learned noble disciple and an unlearned ordinary person.

Summary in verse

“A wise and learned disciple is unmoved

by feelings of pleasure and pain.

This is the great difference in skill

between the wise and the ordinary.

A learned disciple who has appraised the Teaching

discerns this world and the next.

Desirable things do not disturb the mind

nor is one repelled by the repulsive.

Both favoring and opposing

are cleared and ended and are no more.

Knowing the stainless and sorrowless state,

one who has gone beyond rebirth

understands rightly.”

• SOURCE: Sallatha Sutta: "The Arrow" (SN 36.6) Pali language sutras

Science: No ‘simple' answer to define 'woman'

Biological "sex" is not simple, and psychological "gender" is even more messy, more ambiguous, more fluid and up for debate. One influences the other as they interact and play upon attraction and orientation. They result from past karma but are influenced by present karma. Biology is not destiny, but its effects are so profound as to make it seem so. Add something to the water (like xenoestrogenic compounds) and no one should be surprised that feelings stop matching with expectations and biases. The fluid becomes more fluid. But there is still male and female not only at the level of the cell but at the level of particles ("atoms") according to Buddhist physics Consider the freakshow called House.

Sex, gender, and orientation

Wisdom Quarterly is working on a "simple" answer to define "woman." It is more fundamental than biology's chromosomes because sex is set somewhere more deeply than molecules in the human body yet still within the physical. There are, of course, psychological components. However, these are fluid and flexible, changing and socially constructed. They are no basis for making a distinction between males and females. If a distinction is to be made, might we found it on something more stable and unchanging than ambiguous factors? Might its foundation be set at birth (conception) rather than post-partum? Looking at Buddhist physics (yes, there is such a thing in the Abhidhamma), we think the answer is yes. This will not settle the social upheaval now in motion because, whatever a "woman" is, what "womanhood" or "femininity" mean is left to human construction. For example, are women "naturally" (innately, by nature) killers or nurturers? While the answer may seem obvious, it is actually open to interpretation because, when a momma bear is protecting its cubs, it becomes a killing machine to any threat it perceives. Does that killing make it less female? (See "The Female of the Species"). When a man stereotypically goes off to work every morning in a previous version of Western society, is it less nurturing than a female staying at home to do that direct care? Is he less of a male for providing support? Psychology and physiology, mind and body, function and form, use and equipment, ideas and tools, humans are very adaptable. We interpret, we define, we make labels, and we do it based on something. Is it mutable? It is. No, but it can be based on an absolute or largely unchanging consideration. What could that be? That will be revealed in the next installment of this debate.

Scientists claim there is not a ‘simple' answer to define ‘woman'

Will this become the int'l symbol of BTQIA+?

What is a "woman"? Or rather, what defines someone as a "woman"?

Ask 100 women, and you might get 100 different answers. [Ask your Uncle Bob and you're likely to get just one.]

This is because there are a variety of contexts in which one could define a woman, and within each of these contexts, there will still not be one straight answer but lots of bent ones.

Socially or biologically, there is much variation. This is the problem Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson ran into in her Supreme Court Confirmation hearing. Senator Marsha Blackburn asked her to define the word "woman."

• [Buddhism has an answer, a simple answer, and modern people may not like it. There is a book of Buddhist physics and psychology known as the Abhidhamma, and the definitions it contains are clear cut. What it means to be a "woman" may well be a social construct, but it is not arbitrary. At the moment of birth, we become one or the other. This is a biological fact, a binary, at the particle level beyond what science seems to currently be aware of. This does not mean that there is nothing else to be; there is another category for everything else (or two other categories condensed into one, the female P and the male P, which would include hermaphrodites, eunuchs, pansexuals, asexuals, intersexuals, pansexuals, transsexuals, homosexuals, bisexuals, crossdressers, and other "two spirit" individuals of all descriptions). This catchall term, P (pandaka), has long been regarded as a third gender, though it has often been dismissed as anyone engaging in any non-normative sexual behavior or with regard to physical anomalies and ambiguities of how one presents -- genotype vs. phenotype -- and certainly of how someone feels in terms of assigned sex, gender role, sexual orientation, and other similar social factors.

• 

  Something in the water? - Ya'think?

  THE UNBELIEVABLE PART: However one feels, dysphoric or euphoric, biological "sex" is imprinted at the minute level of the kalāpa ("particle," "corporeal unit," "produced corporeality"). Not only is it there in a physical individual, but it can also be seen and confirmed by those who develop the ability to see it. What it means, indeed, that is a social construct. For example, "We are Vikings, and Viking men do not cry! If one cries, it is not a man, so kill it, imprison it, marry it, rape it, impale it with a horn helmet, or raise it up, call it 'shaman-queen,' and obey it. That's the rule." Then later in time, with the exact same DNA on the exact same beach: "We are Swedes, and men do cry but it makes other men around them uncomfortable. So if one cries, it is a man, but call it 'crybaby,' 'sissy,' 'wuss,' 'metro,' 'dergooberfarfignewtonpandacoot,' promote it to a position in Human Resources, and leave him be with no romantic date to the big Lutefisk Festival, but he can bring his mother." End of example. This becomes problematic because although it is an objective binary, it is perceived subjectively. Individuals can see it, but unlike showing genes or alleles on a DNA test, it is not yet possible to show what such minute particles look like to others. Strangely, it is not immutable. An individual, wandering on through rebirths, changes sex -- and neither gender nor sex are certain, fixed, and permanent. If that were not hard enough to accept, it gets stranger. There is at least one case of a human who changes from one sex to the other and back. This is a miraculous and extraordinarily rare occurrence, but that it can occurs cautions us not to make hard and fast distinctions about the meaning of our natural sex, assigned sex, sex roles, and genders. Obviously, this is a controversial issue. To make any comment sounds as if Buddhism is dictating sex assignment. Buddhism is not doing that. Karma (the fruition of our former deeds) is doing that. But karma is complex and also accounts for gender (the social construct or set of gendered expectations about an individual, and this gets very messy and complex, particularly how it was understood by scholars in ancient times. There is something more remarkable than the strange occurrence of a sex change during one human life, and that is the power of transformation, which is far more common. Devas possess this power, as do many other categories of beings in Buddhist cosmology, and even some humans develop this power. So what is the power? It is the power to shapeshift, to adopt a sex or appearance as one wishes. Consider what it does not mean: Although one wills to temporarily adopt the form or physical appearance of something else, it is still done while being one thing or the other and not both. A male may temporarily adopt the form of a functional female, and a female the form of a functional male -- assuming that person possesses this special power or knowledge (abhinna, siddhi), but it will not stick. For example, a reptilian (naga) creature may shapeshift and appear as a human male or female but when not sustaining that determination will revert back to its usual form and appearance. One may argue if this is an "illusion" (maya), as it is sometimes described, because such a creature really does temporarily take the physical form of what it wills. Shapeshifters exist. The argument would be that if one is bound to revert to the original form, is the temporary manifestation as something else not therefore a temporary illusion? It becomes a matter of semantics. Yes, it is an illusion because one will rebound and revert, though one wills not to, to what one was originally. No, it is not an illusion because, for the time being, one really has metamorphosed into the form one willed. This power is very rare among humans. It otherwise seems quite common among other beings. Even animals can camouflage. Ghosts shapeshift, as do demons and ghouls (d'jinn, yakshas, rakshasas, maras, asuras), reptilians (nagas), trolls, goblins (kumbhandas), and light beings (devas).]

Jackson's response was rather controversial and has sparked a debate on how to define a woman.

• [The future justice became a defiant moron (or very cunning and manipulative, politically correct speaker) at that moment, unable to make any sensible statement about a definition other than the equivalent of it could be anything.]

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson struggles and can't define "woman"

Lost in Trans Nation (Grossman)

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court confirmation hearing was a long, grueling affair. It lasted more than 13 hours and was full of extremely tough and at times harsh questions. One of the toughest, however, was when Senator Marsha Blackburn asked the judge to define the word "woman."

"Well how the F am I supposed to know?" one wishes she would have answered. Instead, she said: "Not in this context, I'm not a biologist," Judge Jackson responded. "In my work as a judge, what I do is I address disputes. If there's a dispute about a definition, people make arguments, and I look at the law, and I decide."

Sen. Blackburn was not at all impressed with this answer. She chastised Jackson immediately: “the fact that you can't give me a straight answer about something as fundamental as what a woman is underscores the dangers of the kind of progressive education that we are hearing about.” Sen. Blackburn stated in the hearing.

The grand debate: What defines a woman?

The End of Gender (Dr. Debra Soh)

Readers may be wondering why Jackson's answer and why learning how a potential Supreme Court judge defines a "woman" is so important. It is because, as a Supreme Court judge, Jackson will most definitely preside over cases involving trans rights and gender politics.

Gender politics in the United States of America is a hot topic currently. This is especially so with several trans rights issues currently in debate. Senators on both sides have since used Jackson's response to talk about their own issues with the debate (2)'

• Related video: The Gender Divide: Conditions That Affect Women More Than Men (Ivanhoe)

Scientists can't define "woman" either

Buddhism, Sexuality, & Gender

Many scientists, biologists, and gender law scholars have commended Jackson for her response. They agree that her response might be slightly misleading, but still it wasn't a bad one. This is because while they agree that science and biology could help create a definition for the word, it can't create a conclusive answer, either.

There are billions of women on the planet. Each woman is unique and different, both in a social context and a biological one. Most scientists agree that there is too much variation to be able to clearly, scientifically, define what is a woman (1).

Rebecca Jordan-Young is a scientists and gender studies scholar. In her work, she explores the relationship between science and the social side of gender and sexuality. She says that while biology is a part of what makes a woman a woman and a man a man, it cannot offer a complete definition.

“I don’t want to see this question punted to biology as if science can offer a simple, definitive answer,” she said.

“The rest of her answer was more interesting and important. She said ‘as a judge, what I do is I address disputes. If there’s a dispute about a definition, people make arguments, and I look at the law, and I decide.’ In other words, she said context matters – which is true in both biology and society. I think that’s a pretty good answer for a judge.”

• Read: Midwives told to say ‘chestfeeding' instead of ‘breastfeeding' in gender-inclusive move

Not a simple question

After the hearing, Blackburn tweeted that her question to define the word "woman" was a simple one. She said that the fact that Jackson couldn't answer it was a major red flag. Many scientists, however, say that it's true: It really is not a simple question.

The answer is not as binary as we once used to say. It used to be, "If you are born with a penis, you are a boy and identify as one. If you are born with a vagina, you are a woman and identify as one." As gender experts point out, however, it is much more complex than that.

In terms of biology, there are at least six different markers for "sex." This includes genitals, gonads, chromosomes, internal reproductive organs, hormones, and their levels, and secondary sex characteristics.

These markers don't always align, however, and aren't necessarily opposite or completely different. Therefore, according to biologists, it is nearly impossible to define a woman based on biology alone.

Dr. House, can you explain this mysterious case of the girl who's a boy?

It is a social question and needs to be answered on a contextual basis

While there are biological markers that exist for sex, we can't completely hinge the definition of male or female in science. In the terms of the law and the judicial system, each case involving this debate needs to take into account both the biological and the social context of the debate.

“As is so often the case, science cannot settle what are really social questions,” said Sarah Richardson, a Harvard scholar, historian, and philosopher of biology who focuses on the sciences of sex and gender and their policy dimensions.

“In any particular case of sex categorization, whether in law or in science, it is necessary to build a definition of sex particular to context.”

Gender studies Professor Kate Mason says that in many cases, judges have to recognize that gender [unlike sex] is not a binary thing. It is fluid. Many people will have their own idea of what gender, or a gender, is, and with what and how they identify.

“I do think that judges and justices sometimes have to make determinations about who is meant by ‘man’ or ‘woman’ in written statutes – and they may have to acknowledge the reality that sex and gender are not binary,” Mason said. “I think Blackburn would prefer a world in which reality was much simpler.”

• Keep Reading: Mom sparks war of words after spotting ‘exaggerated' lips on Black doll

Sources

• “Scientists Claim There Is Not a ‘Simple’ Answer to Define ‘Woman,’” IJR. Bradley Cortright. March 25, 2022.
• “Marsha Blackburn asked Ketanji Brown Jackson to define ‘woman.’ Science says there’s no simple answer,” USA Today. Alia E. Dastagir. March 24, 2022.
• The post "Scientists Claim There Is Not a ‘Simple’ Answer to Define ‘Woman’" appeared first on Secret Life of Mom
• Dr. House, MD (TV show clip); Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Seth Auberon, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly COMMENTARY