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kokio
Registered User
(6/22/03 6:56 pm)
Reply 		Rigid Sex Roles
The world according to SRF:
Women, but only special ones, can run the organization, including serving on the board. But, all women monastics, both those in power and those who are not, must stay in the background.
Only male monastics can speak to large groups, except at Convocation when one token nun can speak, and Daya Mata can speak via video.
Only men can be ushers. Both men and women can be greeters, and teach Sunday School.
The male monastics can wear western clothing, as long as the color of shirt denotes their status of Bramachari or Brother. Nuns cannot. They must wear saris, which really make them stand out as different in this culture. Also, I have heard of male monastics who serve at Lake Shrine who ride bicycles, but I'll bet no nuns do in their saris.
And, while we are talking of clothing, I would like to examine color more closely. It would seem that only Daya Mata can wear a vibrant shade of orange. From what I have seen, the other nuns wear a more terra cotta brown color, that is not pretty. And, the light yellow that the bramacharinis wear, head to foot, it not a becoming color to most people. The bramacharis have a better time of it, wearing a suit, with a more golden color inside.
There are probably more sex-prescribed roles and rules that I have missed. What got me pondering the whole thing today, is that in the Lake Shrine News of May-June, there is a request for volunteers to be ushers, both male and female!
Do you think this is the first indication of a relaxing of roles, where monastics and devotees can serve in areas where they are talented or have a desire to serve? Or, is it just that not enough men are volunteering to usher?


babaGEE
Registered User
(6/24/03 9:23 am)
Reply 		Re: Rigid Sex Roles
Perhaps it's a little of both, but probably not by Mother Center's suggestion. The monks at Lake Shrine admit that SRF is a bit old fashioned and attempt to try new things. I don't know if you are aware that the Lake Shrine was the first temple to have a female employee on the payroll (this was a long time ago) and the Lake Shrine had to go to great lengths to show MC the floor plan of where this female would be working away from the monks. There is a rule that a monk cannot be alone in an office with a female, but this is broken a lot. They say "just keep the door open." The literature for Temple Day of Service clearly states that women should wear modest clothing, no tank tops, etc. MC doesn't want to lose any more monks.

Getting back to the usher issue, I know that Lake Shrine had a big plea for grounds and temple hosts recently and the Lake isn't even open yet (end of July) so their free labor pool must be drying up.

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