Indian Society for Buddhist Studies

Author(s): Prachya Vidyapeeth
Publisher: Prachya Vidyapeeth

Page 88

(73)
Access, Attitude and Attainment- three simple sounding words in the title carry underneath them complex issues and experiences. Each of them is surrounded by debates and positions which shall be explored through the lens of early Buddhist literature i.e. by investigating some Pāli canonical texts. It is noteworthy that Buddhism as a religion did give women an alternative path of renunciation, which makes it equally interesting to interrogate along the gender praxis. Who joins the sangha? Who supports it? are not just questions but dynamics of the society that early Buddhism was a part of. Gleaning into the literature particularly the Jātakas will also throw open, attitudes towards the “feminine"- its physical anatomy and social construction. Are women able to, in terms of degree the same sort of renunciatory commitment and spiritual progress as their male counterparts. Also, is the category of men and women commonly used and rather understood “homogeneous” is equally pertinent to this paper.
*****
Revival of Buddhism in Mongolia Post World-War-II
Buddhadev Bhattacharya, Nalanda
According to the historical evidences since the second century BC peoples occupying the territory of Mongolia were familiar with Buddhism. Mongolia literally Mongol country is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and the People's Republic of China to the south, east and west. Various nomadic empires, had ruled the area. Chinggis Khan founded the Mongol Empire in 1206 as a union state. After the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols returned to their earlier pattern of constant internal conflict and occasional raids on the Chinese borderlands. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Mongolia came under the influence of Tibetan Buddhism. At the end of the 17th century, most of Mongolia had been incorporated into the area ruled by the Qing