Women in Buddhism
The Web’s first comprehensive collection of links and resources on contemporary Buddhist women. Female teachers, activists, scholars, nuns, and yoginis (practitioners) may be found on these pages, as well as teachings and special events, projects, organisations, bibliographic and contact information. We also offer a complete guide to the many female meditational deities found in Tibetan Buddhist practice.
Network of Buddhist Woment in Europe
This website aims to further Buddhist women as teachers and to help them in all their varied and important contributions – as well as making books and texts more easily accessible to as many people as possible. The network of Buddhist women in Europe would like to provide a forum where these experiences can be collected and preserved and to be passed on to as many people as possible, so that they too can draw inspiration and courage to find their way.
An excellent site for up-to-date information about what is happening for Women in Buddhism.
The newsletter of The International Association of Buddhist Women. “The Sakyadhita newsletter welcomes contributions by its readers in the form of articles, letters, drawings, or announcements of interest to Buddhist women, both lay and ordained.”
The Tibetan Nuns Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and supporting Tibetan nuns living in exile. Our sponsorship program supports over 500 nuns in five different nunneries in the Himalayan region. Our objectives are: improving the standards of food, sanitation, medical care and basic education and training in existing nunneries; developing an institute that offers nuns innovative educational opportunities; and establishing further facilities for refugee Buddhist nuns.
Thösamling Nunnery (Dharamsala, India)
Thösamling means Place for hearing,study and reflection of the Buddha’s Teaching. A Non-sectarian Nunnery Following the advice of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the nunnery will encourage interaction among the four great lineages of Buddhism by welcoming nuns and teachers from each of these lineages. While the teachers we invite will be chosen on the basis of their qualification, a special effort will be made to invite women who have established their credentials as Buddhist teachers and practitioners.
This is the website of Songdhammakalyani Temple, Thailand, Sister Ven. Dhammananda (Dr Chatsumarn Kabilsingh) is the abbess. Ven. Dhammananda writes regularly both academic papers and articles for magazines. She has more than 40 books and translations to her name. Some of the better known books in English are A Comparative Study of the Bhikkhuni, Patimokkha Buddhism and Nature Conservation, Thai Women and Buddhism, Women and Buddhism, The Bhikkhuni Patimokkha of the six existing schools. A quarterly newsletter in English: “Yasodhara”, reports activities of Buddhist women around the world is available – be involved. Subscription is $12 a year.
Ayya Khema International Buddhist Mandir
Ven. Bhikkhuni Kusuma MA. PhD. is a fully ordained Buddhist Nun from Sri Lanka who has pioneered the re-establishment the Therevada female Buddhist Order in Sri Lanka, 1000 years after the Order died out. She has taken upon herself the task of carrying on the efforts of her mentor, Sister Ayya Khema, in establishing the ‘Ayya Khema International Buddhist Mandir’. This establishment will be an abode in Sri Lanka for female seekers of solitude, truth and wisdom through the teachings of the Buddha. Once completed the ‘Ayya Khema International Buddhist Mandir’ will offer; the study of Pali and Theravada Buddhist Suttras, Abhidhamma Studies, Pali chanting, meditation and English instructions.
Ven. Thubten Chodron’s Home Page
Comprehensive and up-to-date information about Ven. Thubten Chodron, her Teachings, Dharma Activity Schedules (Dharma Classes, Meditation Retreats, etc), Publications, Book Reviews and other special events. Born in 1950, Ven. Thubten Chodron grew up near Los Angeles. She studied and practiced Buddhism of the Tibetan tradition for many years in India and Nepal. Ven Chodron was a co-organizer of “Life as a Western Buddhist Nun”, and took part in the conferences of Western Buddhist teachers with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1993 and 1994. She currently lives and teaches in Seattle with Dharma Friendship Foundation and continues to travel worldwide to teach the Dharma.
Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery and International Retreat Centre for Women was founded in the beginning of 1999 at the request of His Eminence Khamtrul Rinpoche, head lama of the Khampagar Monastery, in order to provide an environment where young women from Tibet and the Himalayan border regions could come together to study and practise in accordance with the Drukpa Kargyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
Jamyang Foundation is an innovative education project for Himalayan women. It aims to help women pursue learning that is harmonious with their personal interests and unique Buddhist cultural background. It is changing perceptions of women throughout the Himalayan region.There are currently Six Jamyang Foundation study programs.
A link page about Women in Buddhism in dharmasala.net.
Theravada Buddhist Writings By Women
A collection of writings about meditation, Buddhism and the path.
Ven. Tenzin Palmo’s Official Website
Home page for Ven. Tenzin Palmo’s special projects.
Aranya is a project to develop a retreat centre in Europe for women wishing to be ordained into the Western Buddhist Order. The site includes articles by and about women on motherhood, friendship, dealing with pain; the meaning of ordination in the Western Buddhist Order; our search for land for a retreat centre; forthcoming events, etc.
This site, dedicated to feminist interpretations of Buddhist philosophy and practice, is named in honor of the dakini: an important image of female power in Buddhism. An advanced spiritual being, she moves in a fundamental freedom so spacious in its emptiness that it is like the sky, or like space.
Chinese Bhiksunis in the Ch’an Tradition
The spirit of essential Mahayana Buddhist doctrines assumes equality between male and female, although in the mundane world the position of Buddhist women is lower than that of Buddhist men. The Chinese Ch’an Buddhist tradition, following the egalitarian teaching of One-Mind of enlightenment, advocates non-discriminating, universal Buddhahood accessible to every sentient being, whether male or female. Nevertheless, women’s status and spiritual capacities have not been upheld as highly in Buddhist history as they have by the Chinese Ch’an School.
This blog gathers in one place all available stories of female Zen practitioners in Tang Dynasty China. About fifty such stories have appeared in translation. Of the women in these stories, only a few have names. Most were simply called “a nun” or “an old woman.” I offer this blog as a way to widen the gate of Dharma and weaken barriers to practice that arise from attachment to gender. May these cases inspire and encourage modern women to cultivate practice in their own lives. Likewise, may this collection help men let go of ancient and subtle stereotypes. And may we together open our hearts to all beings.
Journal of the Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship – Fall ’99. Article on “Buddhism Feminism and the Goddess Kwan Yin”, by Sandy Boucher, ‘Meditating with Anger” by Rita Gross.
