Acrylic on Women's Old Sarong

Flag 2024

In Buddhism, wisdom is categorized into three types: wisdom acquired from listening to teachings, wisdom gained through reflection, and the insight that comes from meditation and direct experience. In a Buddhist country like Myanmar, policies focused on nation-building and state-building have historically overlooked the intellectual contributions and wisdom of women. The Lord Buddha taught that anyone, regardless of gender, can attain true wisdom through meditation and personal experience. Unfortunately, prevailing patriarchal systems have largely ignored the contributions of women, both past and present, in the cultivation of morality (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā). This disregard for women's wisdom is fundamentally unjust.