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The Buddhist women's movement represents an astounding 300 million women worldwide; increasingly, many American women are embracing the discipline both as a tonic to the frantic pace of modern life and a more nurturing alternative to some Western religious practices. Women Practicing Buddhism, born out of the conference, "Women Practicing Buddhism: American Experiences," held at Smith College in 2005, is a kind of mosaic portrait of the movement, a compelling chorus of voices that includes prominent Dharma teachers and noted writers, artists, activists, and healers, both Eastern and Western. The book centers on personal issues and practices, exploring women's particular experiences of Buddhism as it spreads throughout North America and takes root in new contexts. Typical of the essays is bell hooks’ evocative ?Moving Beyond Gender,” which offers an inspiring picture of how Buddhism gave her fresh perspectives on life.
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Individually and collectively, today's female practitioners are changing the face of Buddhism today, as surely as Buddhist practice is transforming each one of their lives. In Women Practicing Buddhism, you'll meet a diverse sampling of contemporary Buddhist women, from those who are crucial to the community's organizational fabric to others who infuse their art and activism with the Dharma. Contributors include: Author and social activist bell hooks Composer, singer, filmmaker, choreographer, and director Meredith Monk American-born Tibetan Buddhist nun Karma Lekshe Tsomo former Tricycle editor Helen Tworkov Jane Hirshfield, prize-winning poet, translator, and essayist Pat Enkyo O'Hara, abbot of NYC's Village Zendo and many more. Women Practicing Buddhism is a kind of mosaic portrait of the Buddhist women's movement, revealing some of the many ways that the Dharma returns the embrace of those women who are coming to it and making it their own.
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