Masculinization; Taiwanese; Buddhist; Nuns; Chinese
摘要
This dissertation examines the gender transformation process of Taiwanese Buddhist nuns who strive to become men in order to overcome contradictory messages of Mahayana Buddhism. The nuns believe that a female birth is the product of bad karma and that women's characteristics and bodies hinder their ability to attain enlightenment and buddhahood. Mahayana Buddhist texts provide models of women who become men in “transformation of sex” stories that suggest that the limitations of a female birth can be overcome through physical transformation. Stories of women who become men are not only common in Buddhist texts, but also in the ancient Chinese symbol of the woman warrior—a woman who becomes a man in order to perform in the world as a man would (e.g. as a soldier or scholar). In Chinese culture, gender categories are based on a correlative (rather than binary) model, and are therefore fluid. In this model, which is derived from the yin-yang relationship, one moves from yin to yang and back several times over the course of one's lifetime, depending on what role one is enacting. Additionally, one's gender depends less on one's sex than on what roles one undertakes in one's lifetime. Taiwanese Buddhist nuns believe that by taking on the role of men, identifying themselves as men, and acting like men, they will physically become men. The nuns identify with the trope of da zhangfu (a heroic, or manly, man) and use it to express their sense that, although they may have women's bodies, their fundamental nature is masculine. A male body is perceived as reward for spiritual advancement and good karma; these nuns expect that as they advance spiritually, their bodies will change to those of men. Gender is usually defined as a cultural construction based on perceived sex differences. This dissertation demonstrates that in this case the situation is reversed—by adopting the masculine gender, nuns believe they will ultimately physically transform into men.
