Facts : 1 Buddhist In general, Buddhist scripture does not distinguish same-sex sexual activity from heterosexual activity, both being seen as non-conducive to spiritual growth
Facts : 2 Many Buddhist moral laws arise from traditional tales and legends, and this is also the case with the Buddhist view of LGBT people
Facts : 3 For example, the monastic rules that prohibit LGBT clergy in some sects come from interpretation of the epic Mahavagga
Facts : 4 In the Pandakavathu section of this work, tales about pandaka (sexually or gender variant people) are related
Facts : 5 In one such story, a Pandaka first approaches a group of monks, then a group of novices, and finally elephant keepers and requests them to defile him/her
Facts : 6 Although rejected each time and driven away, the encounters create an ethos of innuendo about the monks, leading the Buddha to bar pandakas from the clergy
Facts : 7 In some tales they would even be reincarnated together as animal pairs ruminating and cuddling together, very happy, head to head, muzzle to muzzle, horn to horn
Facts : 8 Although not shown as sexual, these relationships between men are loving, and contrast with the difficult marriages to shrewish wives in many stories
Facts : 9 Harvey however, disagress and states that this is a reference to brotherly love and not a platonic relationship
Facts : 10 Some Bodhisattvas change sexes in different incarnations, which causes some to associate this to homosexuality and transgenderism