As suggested by Ebrey (1996: 192), “[r]etreating to a monastery to nunnery offered a new alternative to the world-weary”,which is especially appealing to women and particularly high-born widows. In the Chinese patriarchy society, women faced many limitation and inequality, and Buddhism provided an alternative life path option for women who did not fit in the traditional family/social structure. Of course Buddhism did not promote gender equality: women were seen as “polluted” (Banerjee 1985: 20), and the female incarnation was of a lower rank of the male. However, the female status was considered as temporary and could be changed in afterlife (Ebrey 1996: 194). Monastic life was open to both men and women alike and both gender were encouraged equally to enter the …show more content…
Additionally, the monks and the nuns were required to commit the similar level of duty (Banerjee 1985: 31-2). The androgynous symbols of Bodhisattvas, unseen in traditional Chinese culture, and the female Guanyin bodhisattvas may also encouraged women to identify with Buddhism and showed the comparably higher status of female in Buddhist society (Ebrey 1996: 194-5).

Besides, most of the Chinese women were illiterate in imperial times. These women could not, and were not allowed to read Confucius or Laozi, and were lack of spiritual stays. On the other hands, Buddhism are accessible and easy to follow compared to Confucianism or Taoism. Buddhism did not talk about complex ritual and virtues or intangible spiritual philosophy, but a different perspective on human lives and