General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why does every religion on the planet [View all]Manifestor_of_Light
(21,046 posts)The Buddha said it was just as possible for a woman to be enlightened as a man. That there was no reason why a woman could not be enlightened. Which is pretty good for 600 years before Jesus.
In Theravada or Hinayana Buddhism, (the lesser vehicle)the original kind, you are supposed to work towards enlightenment in your successive lives, so you can go to Nirvana.
In Mahayana Buddhism (the greater vehicle), you are supposed to work towards enlightenment and become a bodhisattva but to stay on earth and help others achieve enlightenment.
Mahayana Buddhism (Chinese) has Kwan Yin as the Bodhisattva of Compassion, she who hears the cries of the world. Buddha said gods were irrelevant when he was asked. He said that what was important was how we treat each other on earth (i'm paraphrasing obviously). There are numerous revered deities, depending on what style of Buddhism you are studying. Buddha is revered in all of them. BUDDHA IS NOT A GOD.
Tibetan Buddhism has numerous revered avatars such as Green Tara, Red Tara and White Tara and many others.