Quote from: Kuan Yin on February 21, 2013, 10:16:42 PM
Just out of interest, why do you 'think' you are transgender?

Birth defect. I know lots of people with birth defects. Mine is just not quite as visible.

Kia Ora,

It would seem some here believe being trans-  is something to do with "reincarnation" so you might find this interesting :


The word "reincarnation" derives from Latin, literally meaning, "entering the flesh again". The Greek equivalent metempsychosis (μετεμψύχωσις) roughly corresponds to the common English phrase "transmigration of the soul" and also usually connotes reincarnation after death,[7] as either human, animal, though emphasising the continuity of the soul, not the flesh. The term has been used by modern philosophers such as Kurt Gödel[8] and has entered the English language. Another Greek term sometimes used synonymously is palingenesis, "being born again".[9]


Philosophical and religious beliefs regarding the existence or non-existence of an unchanging "self" have a direct bearing on how reincarnation is viewed within a given tradition. The Buddha lived at a time of great philosophical creativity in India when many conceptions of the nature of life and death were proposed. Some were materialist, holding that there was no existence and that the self is annihilated upon death. Others believed in a form of cyclic existence, where a being is born, lives, dies and then is reborn, but in the context of a type of determinism or fatalism in which karma played no role. Others were "eternalists", postulating an eternally existent self or soul comparable to that in Judaic monotheism: the ātman survives death and reincarnates as another living being, based on its karmic inheritance. This is the idea that has become dominant (with certain modifications) in modern Hinduism.

The Buddhist concept of reincarnation differs from others in that there is no eternal "soul", "spirit" or "self" but only a "stream of consciousness" that links life with life. The actual process of change from one life to the next is called punarbhava (Sanskrit) or punabbhava (Pāli), literally "becoming again", or more briefly bhava, "becoming", and some English-speaking. Buddhists prefer the term "rebirth" or "re-becoming" to render this term as they take "reincarnation" to imply a fixed entity that is reborn[12] Popular Jain cosmology and Buddhist cosmology as well as a number of schools of Hinduism posit rebirth in many worlds and in varied forms. In Buddhist tradition the process occurs across five or six realms of existence,[13] including the human, any kind of animal and several types of supernatural being. It is said in Tibetan Buddhism that it is very rare for a person to be reborn in the immediate next life as a human[14]


Metta Zenda

Quote from: Kuan Yin on February 22, 2013, 12:27:39 PM
punabbhava (Pāli), literally "becoming again", or more briefly bhava, "becoming", and some English-speaking. Buddhists prefer the term "rebirth" or "re-becoming" to render this term as they take "reincarnation" to imply a fixed entity that is reborn[12]

To whatever degree I've become attached to the notion, my own interpretation and feelings have tended to mirror (granted, I have not studied this in any systematic way or in great depth) the point-of-view that seems to come from the Mahayana division of Buddhism. From what I have studied, there seem to be a great range of ideas and specific beliefs about rebirth/reincarnation depending on the culture and the various branches within Buddhist practice and beliefs.

The descriptions in this site are fairly similar to my own.  The core issue for me being that, whatever the details or realities associated with it, the ultimate goal is to eventually be done with the conflicts, passions and so on, and to become one with a larger consciousness that is also perceived, at least by mortals, as a sort of transcendent nothingness, in the sense that it is detached from things and from materiality. Not sure I can state this clearly and briefly without also distorting it.

Quote from: Elspeth on February 22, 2013, 01:20:18 PM
To whatever degree I've become attached to the notion, my own interpretation and feelings have tended to mirror (granted, I have not studied this in any systematic way or in great depth) the point-of-view that seems to come from the Mahayana division of Buddhism. From what I have studied, there seem to be a great range of ideas and specific beliefs about rebirth/reincarnation depending on the culture and the various branches within Buddhist practice and beliefs.

The descriptions in this site are fairly similar to my own.  The core issue for me being that, whatever the details or realities associated with it, the ultimate goal is to eventually be done with the conflicts, passions and so on, and to become one with a larger consciousness that is also perceived, at least by mortals, as a sort of transcendent nothingness, in the sense that it is detached from things and from materiality. Not sure I can state this clearly and briefly without also distorting it.

Kia Ora Elspeth,

This is how I understand rebirth:

Quoted from an old post in the Buddhist section..

At first glance rebirth appears to imply there's a 'soul' or another form of eternal/permanent 'self',[some thing that passes/goes from one life to the next 'unchanged'] but this is not the case...If one transfers the flame from a lighted candle to an unlit candle, the new flame is contingent on the old flame for its existence but they are not the same flame. There is continuity between the two but they are distinct. Reincarnation would mean that the old flame is exactly the same as the new flame. Rebirth recognises there is a contiguous relationship of one life to the other but each is otherwise distinct.

Ones past karma is what fuels the birth and growth of the psycho-physical being...

Buddhism promotes  tolerance... Some Thai people believe that being born transgender is due to ones past transgressions - things like adultery,  they also believe that all of us will during our cycle of rebirths commit [or already have committed] adultery and  be born transgender...Hence why many Thais see this condition as one to be pitied and not ridiculed [but not necessarily protected]...

Metta Zenda

Quote from: agfrommd on February 22, 2013, 12:26:56 PM
Birth defect. I know lots of people with birth defects. Mine is just not quite as visible.

Another vote for birth defect.. Not that I really care.

Quote from: crazy at the coast on February 22, 2013, 09:52:34 AM
Prolly cause I'm crazy.

Who knows though and honestly, most times I don't care, it isn't gonna change the more thought I put into it, so...

Dearest crazy at the coast,

You ring my bells with your succinct and obvious answers.  We have so much work to do, "why" seems just navel gazing?  Still I confess to the "I am an alien" feeling when it occurred to me that I was so very different.  I too live on the coast and when pre-transitional I often answered, "crazy" to the daily question, "how are you?"

What very comprehensive insights this topic reveals---thanks all

Reformatted broken quote

Quote from: Kuan Yin on February 22, 2013, 11:38:34 PM
Buddhism promotes  tolerance... Some Thai people believe that being born transgender is due to ones past transgressions - things like adultery,  they also believe that all of us will during our cycle of rebirths commit [or already have committed] adultery and  be born transgender...Hence why many Thais see this condition as one to be pitied and not ridiculed [but not necessarily protected]...

This is probably why I tend to avoid getting any more specific (and don't tend to describe myself as Buddhist). While I'm all in favor of tolerance, I don't see my own rebirth as trans (if the intuitions I've had about rebirth are any kind of reality) as a consequence of past misdeeds, but more as the next step in a progression that I personally do not feel is in any way a regression or a punishment. I try to see being trans as a gift, in the way that the Hopi or other cultures, that saw being Two-spirited as a gift that tended to align with those needed to become a shaman.  I recognize that my present society does not necessarily embrace that, but still, I continue to do what I can to serve in that capacity.

Is it a challenge, particularly in such a society with naive notions of gender? Of course it is. But, even if the only benefit were to myself, I consider it far preferable to interpret this situation, over which I have no control other than in making choices about how to cope, as a gift to be cherished and embraced, and to try to convey that sense to others, along with other insights, when it's appropriate and constructive to share them.

Quote from: Elspeth on February 23, 2013, 08:54:44 AM
This is probably why I tend to avoid getting any more specific (and don't tend to describe myself as Buddhist). While I'm all in favor of tolerance, I don't see my own rebirth as trans (if the intuitions I've had about rebirth are any kind of reality) as a consequence of past misdeeds, but more as the next step in a progression that I personally do not feel is in any way a regression or a punishment. I try to see being trans as a gift, in the way that the Hopi or other cultures, that saw being Two-spirited as a gift that tended to align with those needed to become a shaman.  I recognize that my present society does not necessarily embrace that, but still, I continue to do what I can to serve in that capacity.

Is it a challenge, particularly in such a society with naive notions of gender? Of course it is. But, even if the only benefit were to myself, I consider it far preferable to interpret this situation, over which I have no control other than in making choices about how to cope, as a gift to be cherished and embraced, and to try to convey that sense to others, along with other insights, when it's appropriate and constructive to share them.

Kia Ora Elspeth,

Taking the word 'karma' literally, all it means is 'action' and from a Buddhist point of view it's the motivation/intention behind ones actions[past and present] that determines the outcomes, ie whether they can be perceived as wholesome or unwholesome...

For me 'karma' is part and parcel of life, there's no escaping it, even once one becomes enlighten, accumulated karma must run its course...But I guess a fully enlighten person/being just goes with the flow, that is, in absolute cooperation with the inevitable....

I see the world through karmic eyes, for this to happen that must happen- and for that to happen-this must happen...
Karma is just karma, there's no magic involved...

On a spiritual level, I was born transgender because of past karma,[action=energy...energy=action...matter/form =vibrating energy] and on a scientific level karma is also involved, ie possible hormonal imbalance or other biological defects/blunders...

However, regardless of the hows and whys, I have just accepted this was[in the past] the case and now get on with living my life...

Metta Zenda

Quote from: Not-so Fat Admin on February 22, 2013, 09:24:11 AM
Whatever god is up there is an evil harpy fingering herself to my pain.

I just about died laughing. I've thought the same thing so often it should be a top 40 hit on my internal radio station.

Quote from: Kuan Yin on February 22, 2013, 11:38:34 PM
Buddhism promotes  tolerance... Some Thai people believe that being born transgender is due to ones past transgressions - things like adultery,  they also believe that all of us will during our cycle of rebirths commit [or already have committed] adultery and  be born transgender...Hence why many Thais see this condition as one to be pitied and not ridiculed [but not necessarily protected]...

I'd like to say that, just as with any religion, there are many forms of Buddhism.   There isn't a single doctrine that covers all Buddhist beliefs and some sects and schools are more tolerant than others.
For myself, I have difficulty accepting the idea that rebirth is tied to particular acts or transgressions.  To say that I'm trans because of a past adultery has more to do with a value judgement about adultery than it does about being trans.  It would make as much sense to say that I should die from famine in this life because I was a glutton in my last one.  There is a poetic justice to this sort of idea of karma and retribution, but it is still tied to the notion of an outside agency enforcing a moral doctrine of right and wrong.
In practice, I think that the idea that those who suffer do so because past transgressions leads to less compassion rather than more.  It allows you to discount the sick, the poor, the hungry and the disabled as somehow being deserving of their fate.

I believe in Karma and Retribution, but I believe in the sense that every action has a natural reaction and every deed has a natural consequence.  There isn't a need for any outside moral agency to enforce it.  The only person who can decide why you have this life and what you can learn from it is you.  Perhaps being trans is a necessary step forward in your evolution towards enlightenment.  Depending on how you view it, it could be either a reward or a punishment and depending on what society you are born into you might experience social acceptance or rejection. 

For myself, I think that part of the path to enlightenment is to not be concerned about anyone's karma or transgressions but my own. 

Quote from: SunKat on February 23, 2013, 02:26:53 PM
I'd like to say that, just as with any religion, there are many forms of Buddhism.   There isn't a single doctrine that covers all Buddhist beliefs and some sects and schools are more tolerant than others.
For myself, I have difficulty accepting the idea that rebirth is tied to particular acts or transgressions.  To say that I'm trans because of a past adultery has more to do with a value judgement about adultery than it does about being trans.  It would make as much sense to say that I should die from famine in this life because I was a glutton in my last one.  There is a poetic justice to this sort of idea of karma and retribution, but it is still tied to the notion of an outside agency enforcing a moral doctrine of right and wrong.
In practice, I think that the idea that those who suffer do so because past transgressions leads to less compassion rather than more.  It allows you to discount the sick, the poor, the hungry and the disabled as somehow being deserving of their fate.

I believe in Karma and Retribution, but I believe in the sense that every action has a natural reaction and every deed has a natural consequence.  There isn't a need for any outside moral agency to enforce it.  The only person who can decide why you have this life and what you can learn from it is you.  Perhaps being trans is a necessary step forward in your evolution towards enlightenment.  Depending on how you view it, it could be either a reward or a punishment and depending on what society you are born into you might experience social acceptance or rejection. 

For myself, I think that part of the path to enlightenment is to not be concerned about anyone's karma or transgressions but my own.

Kia Ora Sunkat,

Yes, as far as other belief systems are concerned Buddhism does 'not' have the monopoly on tolerance, however throughout the different schools "tolerance' and 'acceptance' and of course 'karma' are key components...I was just pointing out why it is most Thai people are tolerant of their 'very large' transgender population....

Sadly many Westerners fail to understand the Buddha Dharma where compassion for other sentient beings, regardless of ones past karma is paramount, instead many 'through lack of understanding' latch on to what they see as the negative aspects of Buddhism....

However if how a person views their present circumstances [being transgender] brings them peace of mind, then so be it, I'm truly happy for them...And if it doesn't.........I can only  sympathise with their plight...And wish them well, on their journey of 'self' discovery or in the case of the Buddhist  "non' self discovery...

Metta Zenda

Personally I think it's a genetic issue. I doubt a deity or God would be cruel enough to do this to someone.

As for karma, i've always tried to be a good person. When I was a child on holiday in Spain I spent all my money on burgers to feed the stray dogs, unless of course they've developed some kind of atherosclerosis from eating McDonalds and now i've become as I am now due to karma.

But seriously, I believe it's a genetic issue, possibly a hormonal disorder stating in the womb. Female brain male body concept.

But I don't really know, i'd just like to be happy.

Quote from: ConfusedGirlRuby on February 23, 2013, 03:28:25 PM
Personally I think it's a genetic issue. I doubt a deity or God would be cruel enough to do this to someone.

As for karma, i've always tried to be a good person. When I was a child on holiday in Spain I spent all my money on burgers to feed the stray dogs, unless of course they've developed some kind of atherosclerosis from eating McDonalds and now i've become as I am now due to karma.

But seriously, I believe it's a genetic issue, possibly a hormonal disorder stating in the womb. Female brain male body concept.

But I don't really know, i'd just like to be happy.

Kia Ora ConfusedGirlRuby ,

That's funny...

Metta Zenda

Quote from: Elspeth on February 21, 2013, 11:10:44 PM
I've gone through many different theories, including a past lives regression that took me back to a life in the 1940s as the abused wife of a farmer, and the conviction that I've been female in nearly all my past lives.

I've thought this same thing in my head. The only difference is I don't have any idea who I was I just think that in past lives I've always been female but I did something wrong in the last life i led and now I'm being punished. On a more biological level, I think maybe i was exposed to too much estrogen in the womb. Or maybe i was exposed to testosterone and that forced me to be male. Either way, I've always had a problem with my birth sex. In first grade, i got caught playing dress up and got in a lot of trouble which since then has forced me deep in the closet. But not so deep I have denied being transgender.

Quote from: DianaP on February 21, 2013, 10:23:12 PM
I get depressed and want to cry when I think about living the rest of my life as a yucky boy. 

I hear you there i spent many sleepless nights crying to myself about it glad thats over now though, now i just cry at music and movies and pretty much anything XD was a very depressing thought that my body would gradually get more and more masculine with age when im such a girl inside

As with any human behaviour, I think it's a combination of nature and nurture. I had some physical female characteristics when I was young: one of my nipples budded and I had a redundant female component on one of my testes removed. These are relatively common during male adolescence, apparently (but I don't know how often these sorts of characteristics appear together). I'm also well within the female digit ratio range (though opinions differ on what this actually proves). Given these factors, perhaps my brain was subject to oestrogen in vivo (nature), which subsequently imbued me with a proclivity to seek out and adopt female behaviours (nurture).

Even considered as singular influences, it appears that either nature or nurture can be very powerful with respect to determining behaviour and a perception of self and others. There are so many additional variables in this complex equation that I think it will be a long time before the question of gender and other human attributes will ever be fully realised. For now, I can only speculate on my own gender dysphoria.

Frankly, I really don't care why I am the way I am. As far as I am concerned, I was simply born this way, and now I have to live with it.

i wouldn't say so much as birth defect as i don't believe it to be a defect necessarily.  Scientifically speaking it has been shown that the Brains gender and the sex organs actually develop at seperate  times in the womb.  since all decision making is done through hormonal burst any disruption in proper  hormonal development can trigger opposing development of a child.  this is believed to be the reason there is a higher instance of MTF than FTM.  Contrary to this scientific evidence, psychological studies believe the discrepancy of FTM instances is due to the social acceptance of "tom boy" even in extremes allows for many FTMs the ability to "satisfy" there dysphoria .  Likewise,  the hormonal burst theory is not the only instance of evidence in producing a transgender status.  It has been shown in some studies to be congenital, I myself have 2 uncles who struggled with there gender identity one transitioned until external pressures stopped his progress.  then there is the chromosomal spectrum that is less binary than many believe to the point that to call them abnormalities doesn't fit.  if memory serves me right the prevalence of just klinefelters is 1 in 500 and the combined non-binary prevalence is believed to be 1 in < 100. In all cases however most studies show that the Brainwave patterning of a transgender person is in fact that of the opposite gender both before and after transition.   For this i believe that it is in no way of social construct that one is transgender however the array of transgender expressions and needs are of social construct. to this extent i agree with the social psychological assessment for the higher  percentage of MTF transsexuals which in a way disagrees with the hormonal burst being the only cause. I find that all scientific evidence to me suggests a variety of birth sex that are not always as evident or even chromosomal as they would seem. Through this i assert that my religious belief in the individual soul and reincarnation to be a likely possibility. I myself do not think i am being punished but that maybe given a choice in-between lives i decided to try male only to realize in life that I am a female soul.  this theological View however does not conform to most beliefs about the spirit itself.    even in religions based on the Hebrew god there is no direct conclusive mentioning of spirit and Sex however Androgenis sex is mentioned greatly with some angels presenting femininity  more than others for instance the archangel Haniel. Branching into Judaism however still relevant to all Hebrew god religions.  Likewise as mentioned buddist believe in the unified spirit which would seem to negate the possibility of the spirit having a sex yet Buddhist also believe in the reincarnation of specific spirits IE the Dali Lama so to suggest that the spirit is individual until it reaches nirvana. Likewise in reference to the Buddhas in nirvana one but incarnation individual.   this is one of the great contradictions of many Buddhist practices and beliefs yet much of this existence is a contradiction or paradox outside of the context of its usage.  seemed to have strayed a bit from my own beliefs which actually are a combined belief that there can not logically be only one answer to religion and under some fuzzy logic principles, which i wont go into here as it would be almost a paragraph itself,  I inadvertently can prove that the most probably answer is that all religions are true to the extent that it is only YOUR belief that matters. Most religions even suggest this possibility directly or indirectly.  Not sure if i got anywhere with that haha ohh well.

i know this sounds silly but i use to think it was magic 

I'm another one who believes that it's got something to do with reincarnation but that it's got nothing to do with past lives, transgressions or karma.

I believe that being transgendered is just a part of existence and within the norms of human evolution.

I have a theory that as the Universe is constantly expanding, then the basis of all existence must be creativity and interaction. Nothing expands without some form of creativity and interaction. You, me and everybody else, we are part of the Universe and are also subject to the same principles - therefore our existence is all about creativity and interaction.

To achieve this creativity and interaction there must be a relationship to begin with, and I believe that the interaction is between two planes of existence - the physical (or natural) and the metaphysical (or spiritual).

A rock is physical. It is incapable of creativity without interacting with something else. Spontaneous creativity by the rock is impossible. It's physical, not spiritual. However life forms are capable of spontaneous creativity. A tree can create fruit. A bird can build a nest. We as humans are creative as well.

Like all other life forms, we can also reproduce. Male and female interact to create a new life in the form of a baby - again, creativity and interaction coming together to create something new. However I don't believe that life begins at conception.

You see any creative process is actually a cycle involving four stages - examination, intuition, conception and application. When we create we interact between our conscious minds and our souls through our subconscious. Creativity inspires, we listen to music and watch films and when we go to sleep we dream and this is what creates within us hope and the motivation to get out of bed in the morning.

We think it comes out of nowhere, but everything created comes out of the spiritual plane, but not knowing enough about it and not being able to see it, the spiritual lies beyond the range of our perception.

The creative cycle is reflected in many things, for example in the seasons of the year, the female menstrual cycle, anything we do creatively, and it is also reflected to me in the cycle of reincarnation.

The starting point is at the moment of death. Our souls separate from our bodies and break down, and we experience flashbacks from our lives (examination), we return to the spiritual (intuition) and then we are reborn (conception) and from that point forward we are living (application).

Sex and gender to me are both part of the natural, physical plane of existence.I believe that our souls have no gender or sex, but are the sum total of our life experiences.

However in order for there to be new life there must be both a body and a soul. The soul is eternal and is not part of the body, which is created out of the body of our parents, including the brain.

This coming together of body and soul is complex and I actually believe that the process of birth (or rebirth) lasts around seven years to the formation of the Life Script where we determine who we are, what our main objective in life should be, and how we are going to relate to other people.

Prior to that we are doing what we can to become acquainted with our new life. Our first five years is a process of discovery and exploration. Hand any object to a baby or small infant and it will examine it, try to put it in their mouths, and work out how it relates to everything else. At the age of two and three we are testing our relationships with other people in our lives.

Now if you've ever tried to create anything you will know that it doesn't always work out as you plan or intend. Sometimes you need to make modifications and sometimes that what you create turns out differently when the different components are put together a different way.

This is how I see being transgendered. Each of us is a complete human being, born without defect, only our souls cannot find a way of relating to either our bodies, our perceived gender role, or both.

Further from this I believe that gender dysphoria is a condition which often appears after the age of seven.

But then again, this is just my theory.