In addition to A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation, this Spring marks the release of another Shambhala Sun book, Buddha’s Daughters, edited by Lion’s Roar Deputy Editor Andrea Miller. The book is available now — click here to order or for more information. Below, you can read Andrea’s introduction to the book.
Buddha’s Daughters: Introduction
I had my first taste of Buddhism in university when I took a class on Chinese and Japanese religions. Since the presentation was dryly academic, I didn’t immediately connect with the Four Noble Truths. Truth be told, I can barely remember taking notes on them, but what did spark my interest was the dissemination of Buddhism. My professor explained that as the Buddha’s teachings fanned out across Asia, they took on the flavor of each culture they encountered. And the result—from Tibet to Thailand and beyond— was that Buddhist traditions came to be so varied that early Western colonialists and missionaries were not always aware they embodied a single religion.
My professor did not go on to address modern Buddhism’s state of flux—that was beyond the scope of our class. Yet Buddhism is indeed still transforming. Now it’s taking root in the West, and decade by decade it’s developing into its own Western strain, or strains. Admittedly, the results are mixed. It’s uncomfortable, for instance, to see the Western vice of materialism seeping into Buddhist practice. But to date there is one hallmark of Western Buddhism that I believe is cause for unreserved celebration. In the West, women teachers play a prominent role; their wise voices are strong and getting stronger.
Some critics have claimed that to place importance on there being women teachers is to inappropriately genderize the dharma. As I see it, however, it’s actually a small step in degenderizing it. Though the Buddha taught that at the ultimate level there is neither male nor female, at the relative level that’s far from the case. Beyond just having different bodies, we are socialized differently and accorded different roles and privileges. In a myriad of ways, these factors determine how we experience the world and, by extension, how we experience the spiritual path. So, while both male and female teachers can speak on the universal human experience, women can also have a unique perspective that can be helpful to both male and female students.
Yet Buddhism, like all world religions, has largely been shaped and defined by men. Century after century—right up to the present day— women have been denied teachings and ordinations and have found themselves relegated to monastery kitchens. They’ve been deemed to be of “lower birth,” and in some lineages even the most experienced, aged nun must bow before any monk, even the youngest, least experienced among them. Blocked by such discrimination, women have had limited opportunities to develop into advanced practitioners and teachers. Yet despite the challenges, women have diligently practiced from the beginning—since the days of the Buddha. I hope this anthology serves as an inspiration for contemporary women practitioners.
Buddha’s Daughters honors women teachers who are pivotal in shaping Western Buddhism and showcases the incredible diversity of their teachings. The book—organized alphabetically—begins and ends with pieces that introduce us to women ancestors. In “Meeting the Demon,” Tsultrim Allione introduces us to Machig Labdron, an innovative eleventh-century yogini who deeply influenced the development of Vajrayana Buddhism. Then in “We Cannot Stop the Hail, but We Can Be Awake,” Bonnie Myotai Treace lyrically evokes the poetry and practice of Rengetsu, a Pure Land Buddhist nun who is considered one of the greatest Japanese poets of the nineteenth century.
Between these two bookend pieces, the teachings presented are so broad both stylistically and thematically that it’s difficult to tidily pinpoint them as feminine or not. Personally, I prefer not to limit them with labels. These teachings touch on universal truths. Though they’re all by women, I believe they are each as universal as any one voice can ever be.
In this anthology, Buddhist concepts and practices are the focus. Sylvia Boorstein, for instance, unpacks her fresh take on the traditional teachings of the three marks of existence, while Pema Chödrön offers a heartfelt teaching on tonglen, a practice for developing compassion.
Practices that help bring mind and body into alignment are foundational. For Jan Chozen Bays, what’s on our plates is the vehicle. Bite by bite, moment by moment, how do we experience taste, texture, color, scent, sound? Can we be curious and playful as we investigate our responses to food and what really satisfies our deepest hunger? Then Sister Chan Khong leads us through a simple yet powerful meditation on the body. Soften the shoulders, feel the breath, rest the eyes, she says. A relaxed body is a relaxed mind.
In addition to valuing women’s voices, Western Buddhism is further characterized by having a large number of lay teachers, and the teachings in this anthology reflect that. Here we see teachings that are both profound and highly practical—fully grounded in lay life, including intimate relationships. Notably, Karen Maezen Miller explores the arc of romance. “Love that lasts allows the love story to end,” she says. “It isn’t laden with romantic fantasies or regret; it’s not defined or limited, not stingy or selfish.” The love story always ends eventually, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a messy breakup. It can, instead, signify the beginning of a real and enduring love.
How to deal with difficulties is addressed in many different ways by the teachers in this collection. In “The Scenery of Cancer,” Darlene Cohen teaches by recounting her moving, intensely personal story of practicing with illness. Judith L. Lief, on the other hand, offers us a comprehensive tour de force that explains the source of stress or suffering from the Buddhist perspective.
Leapfrogging from the personal to the global, I am particularly encouraged by the teachings in this anthology that are informed by social awareness. Pat Enkyo O’Hara takes us with her on a street retreat. Sleeping in an alley, eating in soup kitchens, she comes to understand the groundlessness of being homeless. Joanna Macy’s passion, in contrast, is for the environment, and she believes that the first step in healing the Earth lies in cultivating gratitude. Capitalism tells us that we need more—more stuff, more entertainment, more comfort. But more only burdens our landfills and feeds our dissatisfaction. So gratitude is liberating, says Macy. It helps us realize that we are sufficient, and that realization frees us.
Publishing Buddha’s Daughters has involved the effort and support of many people. I would like to thank Beth Frankl, my editor at Shambhala Publications, and her assistant editor, John Golebiewski, as well as colleagues at the Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly, in particular Melvin McLeod. This book was his brainchild and would never have come to be without him. He has also been my mentor for seven years, and I am extremely grateful for everything I have learned from him—and also for his compassion and humor.
Additionally, I would like to thank the women of my blood lineage— my grandmothers, my mother, my aunts. Their fortitude makes me proud; their quirks make me smile. I couldn’t be happier that when I look in the mirror, I see snatches of them, and when I look deeper inside myself, I see them there, too.
From Buddha’s Daughters, edited by Andrea Miller, © 2014 by Andrea Miller. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston, MA. www.shambhala.com
