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- Jan 30, 2026
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- #1
Comparisons to Snakes and Dangers
The Anguttara Nikaya (AN 5.230) famously compares women to poisonous snakes:
"Mendicants, there are these five dangers of a black snake... It is aggressive, bears grudges, has terrible poison, is fork-tongued, and betrays friends. Just so, monks, there are five dangers of a woman... She is aggressive, bears grudges, has terrible poison, is fork-tongued, and betrays friends."
Warnings on Distraction and "Snares"
In Anguttara Nikaya (AN 4.177), women are described as an all-encompassing distraction for men:
"When a woman walks, she occupies a man’s mind. When a woman stands… sits… lies down… laughs… speaks… sings… cries… is injured, she occupies a man’s mind... For if anyone should be rightly called 'an all-round snare of Māra', it's females."
The Decline of the Teaching (Dharma)
In the Vinaya Pitaka and Anguttara Nikaya (8.51), the Buddha is recorded as being reluctant to ordain women, stating:
"...even so the True Dharma will not last long... As families that have more women than men are easily destroyed by robbers... even so the True Dharma will not last long."
Limitations on Enlightenment (The Five Obstacles)
The Lotus Sutra (and other pre-Lotus texts) mentions specific roles a woman cannot fulfill:
"Moreover, a woman is subject to the five obstacles. First, she cannot become a Brahma heavenly king. Second, she cannot become a king Shakra. Third, she cannot become a devil king. Fourth, she cannot become a wheel-turning sage king. Fifth, she cannot become a buddha."
Descriptions of Impurity
The Female Body Transformation Sutra (Mahayana tradition) encourages women to view their own bodies with revulsion to facilitate a "male" rebirth for enlightenment:
"This body is a vessel of impurity, filled with foulness, like a dried-up well, an empty city, a ruined village... therefore, one should give rise to revulsion towards this body."
The Anguttara Nikaya (AN 5.230) famously compares women to poisonous snakes:
"Mendicants, there are these five dangers of a black snake... It is aggressive, bears grudges, has terrible poison, is fork-tongued, and betrays friends. Just so, monks, there are five dangers of a woman... She is aggressive, bears grudges, has terrible poison, is fork-tongued, and betrays friends."
Warnings on Distraction and "Snares"
In Anguttara Nikaya (AN 4.177), women are described as an all-encompassing distraction for men:
"When a woman walks, she occupies a man’s mind. When a woman stands… sits… lies down… laughs… speaks… sings… cries… is injured, she occupies a man’s mind... For if anyone should be rightly called 'an all-round snare of Māra', it's females."
The Decline of the Teaching (Dharma)
In the Vinaya Pitaka and Anguttara Nikaya (8.51), the Buddha is recorded as being reluctant to ordain women, stating:
"...even so the True Dharma will not last long... As families that have more women than men are easily destroyed by robbers... even so the True Dharma will not last long."
Limitations on Enlightenment (The Five Obstacles)
The Lotus Sutra (and other pre-Lotus texts) mentions specific roles a woman cannot fulfill:
"Moreover, a woman is subject to the five obstacles. First, she cannot become a Brahma heavenly king. Second, she cannot become a king Shakra. Third, she cannot become a devil king. Fourth, she cannot become a wheel-turning sage king. Fifth, she cannot become a buddha."
Descriptions of Impurity
The Female Body Transformation Sutra (Mahayana tradition) encourages women to view their own bodies with revulsion to facilitate a "male" rebirth for enlightenment:
"This body is a vessel of impurity, filled with foulness, like a dried-up well, an empty city, a ruined village... therefore, one should give rise to revulsion towards this body."
