Return of the Eunuch
Gender Disobedience as a Path to Awakening in Buddhist Tantra
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/post.v4i3.339Keywords:
Queer, Buddhism, Gender, TransgenderAbstract
This article surveys tensions in Buddhist scripture around gender norms and gender abnormality and argues that, in the context of Vajrayana (or Tantric) Buddhism, gender disobedience—or “gender insubordination,” to deploy Judith Butler’s phraseology—can be understood to be a legitimate path to Awakening, in and of itself. It extends the notion of gender disobedience beyond an engagement with the transgender to a practice/performance of the sexless and genderless which is evoked by the figure of the eunuch. The article uses the traditional Tibetan sacred image of the enlightened protector (Wrathful Buddha) Gonpo Maning Nagpo as a case in point. The article is reflective as well as theoretical and informed by spiritual praxis and foregrounds similarities between Buddhist and Queer Studies perspectives on sex, gender and sexuality.
References
Batchelor, Stephen. 1997. Buddhism without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening. London: Bloomsbury.
Beer, Robert. 2003. The Handbook of Tibetan Symbols. Chicago, IL: Serindia Publications.
Benjamin, Jessica. 1998. Shadow of the Other: Intersubjectivity and Gender in Psychoanalysis. New York: Routledge. Buhler, George, trans. 2001. The Laws of Manu. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/manu/manu03.htm (accessed 01 June 2009).
Butler, Judith. 1990. Gender Trouble. New York: Routledge.
———. 1993. Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of “Sex.” New York: Routledge.
———. 2004. Undoing Gender. New York: Routledge.
———. 2005. Giving an Account of Oneself. New York: Fordham University Press.
Cixous, Hélène. 1980. “Sorties.” In New French Feminisms, edited by Elaine Marks and Isabelle de Courtivron, 90–98. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press.
Conner, Randy P. 1993. Blossom of Bone: Reclaiming the Connections Between Homoeroticism and the Sacred. San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco.
Dowman, Keith. 2003. The Flight of the Garuda. Boston, MA: Wisdom Publications.
Fausto-Sterling, Anne. 1993. “The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female are not Enough.” The Sciences 33(2): 20–25.
———. 2000. Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality. New York: Basic Books.
Foucault, Michel. 1978. The History of Sexuality, Volume 1. Translated by Robert Hurley. New York: Random House.
———. 1980. “Truth and Power.” In Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings 1972–1977, edited by Colin Gordon, 109–133. Brighton: Harvester.
———. 1988. The History of Sexuality Volume 2: The Care of the Self. Translated by Robert Hurley. New York: Vintage.
Halperin, David M. 1995. Saint Foucault: Towards a Gay Hagiography. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hopkins, Jeffrey. 1998. Sex, Orgasm and the Mind of Clear Light: The Sixty-four Arts of Gay Male Love. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Horner, I. B., trans. 1938. Book of the Discipline (Vinaya Pitaka). London: Pali Text Society.
Jackson, Peter A. 1996. “The Persistence of Gender: From Ancient Indian Pandakas to Modern Thai Gay-Quings.” Meanjin 55(1): 110–121.
Jagose, Annamarie. 1996. Queer Theory: An Introduction. New York: New York University Press.
Keown, Damien. 1996. “Karma, Character and Consequentialism.” The Journal of Religious Ethics 24(2): 329–350.
Khyentse, Dzongsar K. 2004. Bodhichitta, its View, Meditation and Action (audio recording). Byron Bay: Siddhartha’s Intent.
Kimble Wrye, Harriet. 1999. “Review of Shadow of the Other.” Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association 47: 1455–1461.
Kinsey, Alfred. 1948. Sexual Behavior of the Human Male. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders.
———. 1953. Sexual Behavior of the Human Female. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders.
Kuefler, Mathew. 2001. The Manly Eunuch: Masculinity, Gender Ambiguity and Christian Ideology in Late Antiquity. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Levinas, Emmanuel. 2003. On Escape/De l’évasion. Translated by B. Bergo. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Narada, T., trans. 1993. The Dhammapada. Taipei: Buddha Educational Foundation.
Pattanaik, Devdutt. 2002. The Man Who Was a Woman and Other Queer Tales from Hindu Lore. Binghamton, NY: Harrington Park Press.
Payutto, P.A., 1995. Good, Evil and Beyond: Kamma in the Buddha’s Teachings, trans. Bruce Evans. Bangkok: Buddha Dharma Foundation.
Pickthall, M. M. 2002. The Meaning of the Glorious Qur’an: Text and Explanatory Translation. Elmhurst, NY: Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an Inc.
Raymond, Janice. G. 1994. The Transsexual Empire: The Making of the She-Male. New York: Teachers College Press.
Read, Rupert. 2009. “Wittgenstein and Zen Buddhism: One Practice, No Dogma.” In Pointing at the Moon: Buddhism, Logic, Analytic Philosophy, edited by Mario D’Amato, Jay L. Garfield and Tom J.F. Tillemans, 13–24. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195381559 .003.0002
Scholz, Piotr O. 2001. Eunuchs and Castrati: A Cultural History. Princeton, NJ: Marcus Wiener.
Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. 2003. Touching Feeling: Affect, Pedagogy, Performativity. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Stolorow, Robert D., and Atwood, George E. 1992. Contexts of Being: The Intersubjective Foundations of Psychological Life. Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press.
Stone, Sandy. 2006. “The Empire Strikes Back: A Posttranssexual Manifesto.” In The Transgender Studies Reader, edited by Susan Stryker and Stephen Whittle, 221–235. New York: Routledge.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans. 1997. Jivaka Sutta: To Jivaka (On Being a Lay Follower). http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an08/an08.026.than.html (accessed 01 June 2009).
Tougher, Shaun. 2006. “The Angelic Life: Monasteries for Eunuchs.” In Byzantine Style, Religion and Civilization, edited by Elizabeth Jeffreys, 238–252. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wallace, B. Alan. 2001. “Intersubjectivity in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism.” Journal of Consciousness Studies 8(5–7): 209–230.
Beer, Robert. 2003. The Handbook of Tibetan Symbols. Chicago, IL: Serindia Publications.
Benjamin, Jessica. 1998. Shadow of the Other: Intersubjectivity and Gender in Psychoanalysis. New York: Routledge. Buhler, George, trans. 2001. The Laws of Manu. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/manu/manu03.htm (accessed 01 June 2009).
Butler, Judith. 1990. Gender Trouble. New York: Routledge.
———. 1993. Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of “Sex.” New York: Routledge.
———. 2004. Undoing Gender. New York: Routledge.
———. 2005. Giving an Account of Oneself. New York: Fordham University Press.
Cixous, Hélène. 1980. “Sorties.” In New French Feminisms, edited by Elaine Marks and Isabelle de Courtivron, 90–98. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press.
Conner, Randy P. 1993. Blossom of Bone: Reclaiming the Connections Between Homoeroticism and the Sacred. San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco.
Dowman, Keith. 2003. The Flight of the Garuda. Boston, MA: Wisdom Publications.
Fausto-Sterling, Anne. 1993. “The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female are not Enough.” The Sciences 33(2): 20–25.
———. 2000. Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality. New York: Basic Books.
Foucault, Michel. 1978. The History of Sexuality, Volume 1. Translated by Robert Hurley. New York: Random House.
———. 1980. “Truth and Power.” In Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings 1972–1977, edited by Colin Gordon, 109–133. Brighton: Harvester.
———. 1988. The History of Sexuality Volume 2: The Care of the Self. Translated by Robert Hurley. New York: Vintage.
Halperin, David M. 1995. Saint Foucault: Towards a Gay Hagiography. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hopkins, Jeffrey. 1998. Sex, Orgasm and the Mind of Clear Light: The Sixty-four Arts of Gay Male Love. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Horner, I. B., trans. 1938. Book of the Discipline (Vinaya Pitaka). London: Pali Text Society.
Jackson, Peter A. 1996. “The Persistence of Gender: From Ancient Indian Pandakas to Modern Thai Gay-Quings.” Meanjin 55(1): 110–121.
Jagose, Annamarie. 1996. Queer Theory: An Introduction. New York: New York University Press.
Keown, Damien. 1996. “Karma, Character and Consequentialism.” The Journal of Religious Ethics 24(2): 329–350.
Khyentse, Dzongsar K. 2004. Bodhichitta, its View, Meditation and Action (audio recording). Byron Bay: Siddhartha’s Intent.
Kimble Wrye, Harriet. 1999. “Review of Shadow of the Other.” Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association 47: 1455–1461.
Kinsey, Alfred. 1948. Sexual Behavior of the Human Male. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders.
———. 1953. Sexual Behavior of the Human Female. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders.
Kuefler, Mathew. 2001. The Manly Eunuch: Masculinity, Gender Ambiguity and Christian Ideology in Late Antiquity. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Levinas, Emmanuel. 2003. On Escape/De l’évasion. Translated by B. Bergo. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Narada, T., trans. 1993. The Dhammapada. Taipei: Buddha Educational Foundation.
Pattanaik, Devdutt. 2002. The Man Who Was a Woman and Other Queer Tales from Hindu Lore. Binghamton, NY: Harrington Park Press.
Payutto, P.A., 1995. Good, Evil and Beyond: Kamma in the Buddha’s Teachings, trans. Bruce Evans. Bangkok: Buddha Dharma Foundation.
Pickthall, M. M. 2002. The Meaning of the Glorious Qur’an: Text and Explanatory Translation. Elmhurst, NY: Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an Inc.
Raymond, Janice. G. 1994. The Transsexual Empire: The Making of the She-Male. New York: Teachers College Press.
Read, Rupert. 2009. “Wittgenstein and Zen Buddhism: One Practice, No Dogma.” In Pointing at the Moon: Buddhism, Logic, Analytic Philosophy, edited by Mario D’Amato, Jay L. Garfield and Tom J.F. Tillemans, 13–24. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195381559 .003.0002
Scholz, Piotr O. 2001. Eunuchs and Castrati: A Cultural History. Princeton, NJ: Marcus Wiener.
Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. 2003. Touching Feeling: Affect, Pedagogy, Performativity. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Stolorow, Robert D., and Atwood, George E. 1992. Contexts of Being: The Intersubjective Foundations of Psychological Life. Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press.
Stone, Sandy. 2006. “The Empire Strikes Back: A Posttranssexual Manifesto.” In The Transgender Studies Reader, edited by Susan Stryker and Stephen Whittle, 221–235. New York: Routledge.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans. 1997. Jivaka Sutta: To Jivaka (On Being a Lay Follower). http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an08/an08.026.than.html (accessed 01 June 2009).
Tougher, Shaun. 2006. “The Angelic Life: Monasteries for Eunuchs.” In Byzantine Style, Religion and Civilization, edited by Elizabeth Jeffreys, 238–252. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wallace, B. Alan. 2001. “Intersubjectivity in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism.” Journal of Consciousness Studies 8(5–7): 209–230.
Published
2010-12-10
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Baker, D. J. (2010). Return of the Eunuch: Gender Disobedience as a Path to Awakening in Buddhist Tantra. Postscripts: The Journal of Sacred Texts, Cultural Histories, and Contemporary Contexts, 4(3), 339-366. https://doi.org/10.1558/post.v4i3.339
