Kim O'Hara wrote:I agree.pilgrim wrote:How about one for Asian Buddhists? and one for Youths? Unless it serves a clearly identifiable purpose, I don't see good reason to divide and subdivide ourselves.
I will go a step further: if something can't be said to everyone, it is possibly (probably?) not Right Speech.pilgrim wrote:When posting here, I don't even notice the gender behind the monikers used.
Notice? A lot of the time you can't even know unless the member has mentioned it.
Just quickly - no checking or anything - can you tell me the gender of skydancer, catmoon, Ayu, songhill, Astus, Chris, seekeroftruth, termite, jrh001, pink_trike, fig tree? They are all good DW usernames.
My own username is gender-ambiguous and some of you may remember that I posted regularly to e-Sangha for a year before anyone knew my gender. I suggest that means it can't be terribly important.
Finally, even when the member gives the information, you (sadly) can't be sure they are telling the truth - and a rule or policy that can't be monitored or policed is a waste of time and energy, IMHO.
Kim
and one for people who like sports, people who hate sports, for people who suffer from baldness, people with big feet, and so on and so on. you are absolutely right: right speech transcends gender on every level. i can't think of a single step on the eightfold path that would be more appropriate for one gender over another. men and women meditate the same, practice mindfulness the same, use right speech the same and so on. saying otherwise or implying it by separating the genders is totally absurd.
all differences are delusion.
not to mention i would be very sad to not here the voice of any of the women on here if they stuck to a women only section. and as you pointed out, most of the women on here i can't even tell are women! so it's not about not hearing women, it's about not hearing PEOPLE. a chunk of people would disappear to a separated section and i wouldn't get to hear them as much. we are all equally valuable and should be encouraged to share with everyone equally.