I did a search and nothing came up, so I do apologize if this topic exists elsewhere.

So, this has been causing me a fair amount of frustration lately. I've come to understand the "infamous" 8 precepts as a cultural necessity for the time and place they were created. It still bothers me however that the Buddha's enlightenment didn't come with a way to work that problem out.

The reason it bothers me now though, is that it seems to still be the norm throughout the Dharma world (outside of western circles). I got into a pretty lively discussion over the weekend with the abbot from the Chinese Monastery, and several lay practitioners. My thoughts were that these extra precepts for women (and the Chinese have more than 8 of them) are simply "traditions", they are impermanent constructed customs, and are not dharma. In the discussion, there was a lot of resistance to change, because it would "cause to much uproar".

Now, I know we don't practice these "separate but semi equal" rules here. But it's causing me much confusion regarding Buddhadharma in general. It's a barrier for me, and I know I should let it go, but I need some help doing that....