Tradition, Revision, Renewal
Throughout Buddhism's history, women have been hindered in their efforts to actualize the fullness of their spiritual lives: they face more obstacles to reaching full ordination, have fewer opportunities to cultivate advanced practice, and receive diminished recognition for their spiritual accomplishments.
Here, a diverse array of scholars, activists, and practitioners explores how women have always managed to sustain a vital place for themselves within the tradition and continue to bring about change in the forms, practices and institutions of Buddhism. In essays ranging from the scholarly to the personal, "Women's Buddhism, Buddhism's Women" describes how women have significantly shaped Buddhism to meet their own needs and the demands of contemporary life.
Women's Buddhism, Buddhism's Women, Ellison Banks Findly ed., Wisdom Publications, 498 pages, $24.95
Ellison Banks Findly is Professor of Religion and Asian Studies at Trinity College. She is the author and editor of several works including Nur Jahan: Empress of Mughal India (0195074882) and Women, Religion and Social Change (0887060692). She lives in Wethersfield, Connecticut.