The principal figure in Buddhism is the teacher, a role traditionally dominated by men. Andrea Miller profiles three women teachers — Trudy Goodman, Roshi Pat Enkyo O'Hara, and Lama Palden Drolma — who are changing the face of Buddhism and making the teachings whole. In a hospital room in Buffalo, New York, Trudy Goodman had a spiritual experience she had no way to [...]
Making Our Way: On Women and Buddhism
Grace Schireson, Christina Feldman, Rita Gross, and Lama Palden Drolma discuss how women are defining new roles as Buddhist leaders, teachers, and practitioners. Introduction by Sandy Boucher When I think of women and Buddhism, I see before me the faces of our Western Buddhist female pioneers. In the relatively easier situation we enjoy today, with the proliferation of [...]
What does it mean to be devoted to one’s guru?
The Fall 2015 issue of Buddhadharma features a conversation between Rob Preece, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, and Lama Palden Drolma on tantra. In this web exclusive, Buddhadharma asks the three teachers about a complex issue at the heart of tantra practice: guru devotion. What does it mean to be devoted to one's guru? Rob Preece: This is one of the trickier, more challenging [...]
Confronting Abuse of Power
Abuse can take different forms: financial, psychological, physical, sexual. Recent headlines have revealed that spiritual communities, including Buddhist ones, are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse by male authority figures. At the same time, all over North America, targets of sexual abuse and institutional betrayal are speaking out with newfound energy, their words and [...]