These days, we hear phrases like “because you’re a man” or “because you’re a woman” much less often. The concept of diversity has spread like a quiet tide, and most of us—myself included—feel that this is fundamentally right.
But why, exactly, is it “right” to treat everyone without distinction? Of course, there are practical reasons: social equality, economic growth, and so on. Yet, we cannot ignore that our physical bodies are different, and those differences naturally create variations in our abilities. So, where does the true conviction to look past gender really come from?
There is a small story in the Buddha’s teachings. Mara approaches a woman in deep meditation and whispers: “You are a woman. You lack the depth of wisdom required to reach enlightenment.”
The woman calmly replies: “Only those who are trapped by the labels of ‘man’ or ‘woman’ are deceived by Mara. When the mind is still and sees the world exactly as it is (possessing wisdom), what does gender have to do with anything?”
Our physical “vessels” are all unique—not just between genders, but among every single one of us. Our race, our build, our tastes, and our beliefs are all different. But when it comes to perceiving the truth and striving to live a better life, those labels simply fade away. In that space, we are just human.