Why are there much more male lineage holders and lamas than female?
Concerning the lineage holders, the reason is, that in former times the organization, which was needed to preserve and pass on the teachings, was monastic. Almost all of the Karmapas were monks, and their traditional seats were monk monasteries, so it would have been hard for a female incarnation to be accepted in this climate. However, there are also many female lineage holders. Just to give a few examples from Tibet, there were: Machig Labdrön, who founded the transmission lineage of the “Chöd of Mahamudra”, Machig Dropa Gyalmo, who initiated the practice of the longevity Buddha Amitayus. Gelongma Pamo, who introduced the Njungne fasting ritual. Niguma, who started a special female transmission lineage of six doctrines, different from those of her brother Naropa. Sukhasiddhi, a student of Virupa, is known for the “six doctrines of Sukhasiddhi”. And the famous Yeshe Tsogyal, the main disciple of Guru Rinpoche, is a lineage holder of our Phowa transmission lineage. Also, there are seve
