She Said No: Toward a Survivor-Centered History of Vajrayāna Buddhist Sexuality

Abstract

Abstract As a contribution toward survivor-centered approaches to the study of religion and sex abuse that centers historical Tibetan Buddhist women, this article focuses on key passages from the autobiography of Sera Khandro Dewai Dorjé (1892–1940), through which a nuanced vision of Vajrayāna technologies of sexuality emerges. Drawing on insights from feminist historiography, this article listens to Sera Khandro’s portrayal of Vajrayāna sexual ethics, including her critiques of the hypocrisy of lust-driven men masquerading as celibate monks and sexual yoga virtuosos, as well as her articulations of sexual yoga as potentially liberatory. Through these passages we will hear the many ways Sera Khandro refused sex, even when it was proffered in the name of salvation, with the aim of making it harder to weaponize the weight of Buddhist tradition to justify sexual predation.