Catherine Rathbun on a Woman's Journey to Enlightenment

Most organized religions have at some time or another come under fire for what many critics have argued to be the continued sanctioning of religious and social structures that are oppressive to women. Whether they target issues ranging from the broader problematic conceptions of women’s social roles, sexuality, and political or legal status to more narrow examinations of women’s rights in matters of ordinance, dress, or participation in activities traditionally accessible only by men, advocates for women have frequently condemned the subordination of women in a sphere which should at heart consist of the personal relationship between an individual and the divine.

Though such debates often take place in academic, philosophical, or political circles, what is not often heard adequately, and particularly from the historical perspective, are the voices of lay women themselves who identify as members of a spiritual or religious community. Not only is the lack of representation a reinforcement of a disenfranchising religious structure, but it also works to dismiss the choice of women to embrace their spirituality and the ways in which they choose to mark their religion’s meaningfulness to themselves and others. Fortunately, Catherine Rathbun is one woman eager to open up the dialogue about women’s roles in religion, and on the specific subject of women within Buddhism.

Despite the omission of women’s stories from the majority of the Buddhist historical record, Catherine is quick to disabuse us of the notion that there has been a corresponding lack of enlightened women across real time. "There have always been", she says, "awakened women." What has accounted for the distortion in representation, she argues, has been the long history of patriarchy in social and religious structures that has affected the ways in which we think about enlightenment as well as the texts written about it—that is, their tendency to be written by men and for men. In addition to neglecting women’s spiritual experiences, the patriarchal leaning creates two problems: it establishes a hierarchy in biological capacities for enlightenment dependent upon sex, while also discounting the potential differences in the paths men and women take to reach enlightenment. Though there’s no difference between a man and woman when it comes to the awakening itself, Catherine argues, the “path to the path of enlightenment” may itself be different.

As the patriarchal power dynamic set up a gendered division of work, it likewise created a gendered capacity for enlightenment. Although Buddhists have historically praised women for their work in service of others, the operative sentiment among many Buddhists that truly following the path requires one to be single, celibate, and (typically) male, is one which implicitly excludes women and especially mothers from a spiritual awakening.  

Yet, within women’s traditional work, explains Catherine, there is a special capacity for enlightenment. Through the work of serving others comes the letting go of the self and ego, but in a way that does not necessarily demand the complete abdication of the self. For many Buddhist women, the desire to help others was present within them before they even learned of the Bodhisattva ideal. Though this is not to say that women are naturally or biologically disposed to lives of service, it supports the idea that women are equally capable of following the path to enlightenment, and perhaps by a path that differs from that of a man’s—and one which is no less admirable or adequate.

Tying together ideas from feminist and social theory, Catherine establishes the need to challenge the long-standing patriarchal structuring of religion so that we can begin to break open the gates of spirituality of our contemporary society for all who may be marginalized.

Catherine Rathbun has been studying meditation since 1969, and began teaching in 1976.  Since then, she has taught in several countries around the world, and has also recently published, "Developing the World Mind."  Her new book, "Clear Heart, Open Mind", will be available soon.

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