Violence Against Women Through a Buddhist Lens

Abstract

Abstract Violence against women (VAW) is an issue that crosses cultures with religion and spirituality playing important parts in its treatment and conceptualization. This topic has received little attention by academic researchers and clinicians, and there has been limited dialogue within various Buddhist communities. This chapter discusses both how Buddhist beliefs and gender roles within the Buddhist community perpetuate or silence the issue of VAW and also how these beliefs can be used to break the cycle of gender violence. The authors of this chapter first provide a brief history and description of Buddhism, with an emphasis on the roles of gender and feminism. Next, core values of Buddhism are discussed in terms of how they may be used to heal and empower survivors of VAW, rather than perpetuate violence. Lastly, a brief discussion is offered regarding considerations for treatment providers and community members to keep in mind when working with survivors of VAW. Due to the paucity of research and information currently available on this topic, implications and future directions for community members, researchers, and clinicians are offered. Keywords Violence against women Buddhism Gender roles Empowering survivors Directions for research and Practice This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access. References Adkins, K. S., & Kamp Dush, C. M. (2010). The mental health of mothers in and after violent and controlling unions. Social Science Research, 39, 925–93. CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMedGoogle Scholar Aiken, B., & Strand, C. (2005). A reporter’s guide to Buddhism in America. http://www.sgi-usa.org/newsandevents/newsroom/americanbuddhist.pdf. Accessed 16 Oct 2013. Arora, V. (2011). Buddhist Bhutan wrestles with ‘shocking’ abuse study. The Huffington post: Religion. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/10/buddhist-bhutan-wrestles-_n_821606.html. Accessed 16 Oct 2013. Bodhi, B. (2011). The Noble Eightfold path: Way to the end of suffering [Kindle DX Version]. Amazon.com Google Scholar Burt, M. R. (1980). Cultural myths and supports for rape. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 38, 217–230. CrossRefGoogle Scholar Cabezon, J. I. (Ed.). (1992). Buddhism, sexuality, and gender. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Google Scholar Dalai Lama. (2010). On Buddha nature. http://www.pbs.org/thebuddha/blog/2010/may/3/impossible-choices-thinking-about-mental-health-is/. Accessed 16 Oct 2013. Davidson, R. J., & Harrington, A. (Eds.). (2001). Visions of compassion: Western scientists and Tibetan Buddhists examine human nature. Oxford: Oxford Press. Google Scholar De Silva, P. (2000). An introduction to Buddhist psychology (3rd ed.). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. CrossRefGoogle Scholar Dobson, K. S., & Dozois, D. J. A. (2010). Historical and philosophical bases of the cognitive-behavioral therapies. In K. S. Dobson (Ed.), Handbook of cognitive-behavioral therapies (3rd ed., pp. 3–38). New York: The Guilford Press. Google Scholar Ellis, A., & Ellis, D. (2011). Rational emotive behavior therapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Google Scholar Faure, B. (2003). The power of denial: Buddhism, purity and gender. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Google Scholar Gross, R. (1993). Buddhism is feminism. Abridged from Buddhism after patriarchy: A feminist history, analysis and reconstruction of Buddhism. http://www.trinity.edu/rnadeau/asian%20religions/Lecture%20Notes/Mahayana%20Buddhism/Buddha%20Gross%20Feminism.htm. Accessed 16 Oct 2013. Goodman, L. A., & Smyth, K. (2011). A call for a social network-oriented approach to services for survivors of intimate partner violence. Psychology Of Violence, 1(2), 79–92. CrossRefGoogle Scholar Goodman, L. A., Dutton, M. A., Weinfurt, K., & Cook, S. (2003). The intimate partner violence strategies index: Development and application. Violence Against Women, 9(2), 163–186. CrossRefGoogle Scholar Hadley, B. (2011). The growth of Buddhism in America (unpublished paper). Spiritual studies from a global perspective: The ongoing East-West dialogue. Unity Institute, Unity, Missouri. Google Scholar Hagen, S. (1997). Buddhism: plain and simple. New York: Broadway Books. Google Scholar Hamby, S., & Bible, A. (2009). Battered women’ s protective strategies. Harrisburg, PA: VAWnet, a project of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence/Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence. http://www.vawnet.org Kaslow, N. J., Thompson, M. P., Brooks, A. E., & Twomey, H. B. (2000). Ratings of family functioning of suicidal and nonsuicidal African American women. Journal of Family Psychology, 14, 585–599. CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar Klunklin, A., & Greenwood, J. (2005). Buddhism, the status of women and the spread of HIV/AIDS in Thailand. Health Care for Women International, 26, 46–61. CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar Levendosky, A. A., Bogat, G. A., Theran, S. A., Trotter, J. S., von Eye, A., & Davidson, W. S. (2004). The social networks of women experiencing domestic violence. American Journal of Community Psychology, 34, 95–109. CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar Lopez, D. S. (2001). The story of Buddhism: A concise guide to its history and teachings. San Francisco: Harper Collins Publishers. Google Scholar Linehan, M. M. (1993). Cognitive behavioral treatment of borderline personality disorder. New York: Guilford Press. Google Scholar Lyall, G. (2008). The rise of the Mahayana. http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/maha2.htm. Accessed 16 Oct 2013. Lyttleton, C. (2000). Endangered relations: Negotiating sex and AIDS in Thailand. Amsterdam: Harwood academic. Google Scholar Mancini, J., Nelson, J., Bowen, G., & Martin, J. (2006). Preventing intimate partner violence: A community capacity approach. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 13(1), 203–227. CrossRefGoogle Scholar Mitchell, R. E. & Hodson, C. A. (1983). Coping with domestic violence: Social support and psychological health among battered women. American Journal of Community Psychology, 11(6), 629–654. CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar O’Connor, L. E. (2012). Meditation, happiness and compassionate altruism. Psychology Today. www.psychologytoday.com/blog/our-empathic-nature/201207/meditation-happiness-and-compassionate-altruism. Accessed 16 Oct 2013. Peters, J. (2008). Measuring myths about domestic violence: Development and initial validation of the domestic violence myth acceptance scale. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma, 16, 1–21. doi:10.1080/1092677080 1917780 Google Scholar Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. (2008). U.S. Religious Landscape Survey: Religious beliefs and practices: Diverse and politically relevant. http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/report-religious-landscape-study-full.pdf. Accessed 16 Oct 2013. Rose, L. E., Campbell, J., & Kub, J. (2000). The role of social support and family relationships in women’s responses to battering. Health Care for Women International, 21, 27–39. CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar Rubenstein, A., Greenstein, T., & Dzialo, C. (2001). Of samurai and sisterhood. Tricycle, Spring 2001. http://www.tricycle.com/-archives/samurai-and-sisterhood. Accessed 16 Oct 2013. Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M. G., & Teasdale, J. D. (2002). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: A new approach to preventing relapse. New York: The Guilford Press. Google Scholar Sittitrai, W., & Brown, T. (1994). Risk factors in HIV infection in Thailand. AIDS, 8(Suppl., 2), S143–S153. Google Scholar Smith, H., & Novak, P. (2003). Buddhism: A concise introduction. New York: Harper San Francisco. Google Scholar Soka Gakkai. (2002a). Buddhahood. In Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism (p. 59). Tokyo: Author. Google Scholar Soka Gakkai (2002b). Three treasures. In Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism. (p. 733). Tokyo: Author. Google Scholar Sullivan, M. S. (2011). The Buddha and Albert Ellis: The Eightfold Path meets the ABCs of REBT. Psychology Today. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/rational-buddhism/201107/the-buddha-and-albert-ellis-the-eightfold-path-meets-the-abcs-rebt. Accessed 16 Oct 2013. Thompson, M. P., Kaslow, N. J., Kingree, J. B., Rashid, A., Puett, R.,… Matthews, A. (2000). Partner violence, social support, and dis- tress among inner-city African American women. American Journal of Community Psychology, 28, 127–143. CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar Tweed, T. A. (2002). Who is a Buddhist?: Night-stand Buddhists and other creatures. In C. S. Prebish & M. Baumann (Eds.). Westward dharma: Buddhism beyond Asia. Berkeley: University of California Press. Google Scholar Williams, M., Teasdale, J., Segal, Z., & Kabat-Zinn (2007). The mindful way through depression. New York: Guilford Press. Google Scholar