In the Buddhist ascetic tradition, both monks and nuns are encouraged to remain vigilant toward the distractions posed by sexual attraction. This wariness is not necessarily rooted in misogyny or misandry but is framed as part of the discipline necessary for celibate life. It reflects a larger concern with attachment, desire, and the vulnerability of the mind to sensual distraction.
Early Buddhist texts describe this vigilance in graphic terms. One passage likens the disadvantages of “womankind” to a black snake — unclean, bad-smelling, timid, fearful, and betraying friends. The analogy extends to her being “angry, grudging, deadly poisonous” and having a “forked tongue” due to indulgence in back-biting, ending with a claim that “she mostly commits adultery.” While this language borders on misogyny, it is better understood as a rhetorical device to support celibacy, rather than a judgment of women as people .
Importantly, similar warnings exist about men. The Aṅguttara Nikāya (A.I.1–2) states that the sight, sound, scent, taste, or touch of a man can overpower a woman’s mind just as easily as the reverse. Thus, both sexes are seen as potentially distracting for those committed to renunciation .
The Vinaya records episodes not only of monks succumbing to temptation, but also of them devising clever loopholes around the rule of celibacy — including intercourse with a wooden doll or keeping a female monkey for sexual purposes. These accounts reveal that monks are not portrayed as victims but as agents responsible for their actions — and equally susceptible to weakness .
For nuns, the stories are equally vivid. One nun, when approached by a man entranced by her eyes, plucks one out and offers it to him, shocking him into spiritual awareness. This act is emblematic of the heroic strength both male and female renunciants are expected to develop in overcoming sensual desire .
Mahāyāna texts also contain ambivalent portrayals. Diana Paul critiques certain Mahāyāna sūtras for depicting women as “sexually uncontrollable” or as “diabolical tempters.” However, other readings show these texts do not condemn women as inherently evil, but rather use such imagery to symbolize the broader human struggle with desire. Candrakīrti, for example, teaches that seeing a conjured woman as impure is as foolish as seeing impurity in anything — since all is empty of inherent nature .
Ultimately, the Buddhist tradition treats ascetic wariness of the opposite sex as a training tool, not a doctrine of gender inferiority. It is aimed at deconstructing lust and attachment, often by contemplating the unattractive aspects of the body — regardless of whether the body is male or female. Such methods are described as skilful means rather than as moral condemnations .