BUDDHADHARMA: THE PRACTITIONER’S QUARTERLY 15
COMMENTARY
THE BUDDHIST COMMUNITY has always consisted of
monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen, in that order, largely in
deference to the social and cultural structures and conditions of
the tradition’s birth. However, the question of women’s place
and standing within Buddhism has, throughout its 2,600-year
history, remained problematic and contentious.
As Buddhist traditions have moved into Western geographic
spaces, more attention has been focused on the issue of women,
and various strategies and attempts to correct the histori-
cal record have been offered. Women are rediscovering and
reasserting their place in Buddhism in a variety of ways. For
example, the number of women who now head dharma centers,
particularly in the West, is striking. Powerful books addressing
the role and history of women in Buddhism have opened our
eyes and helped women raise their voices. This women’s issue of
Buddhadharma is one more step on that journey.
In 2010, the Soto Zen Buddhist Association adopted the
“Women Ancestors Document,” which lists the names of impor-
tant nuns and laywomen going back to the time of the Buddha—
women who have been overlooked for centuries. Today, their
names are chanted in Zen centers across the country, showing
how centering women’s experiences actually expands what is
intended by “lineage.”
The Sakyadhita organization, profiled in Judith Hertog’s
“The Sakyadhita Movement,” has, since the late 1980s, been
providing venues where women practitioners could gather and
discuss their trials and triumphs, and move the dial on ordina-
tion and Buddhist education for women. (In this issue’s forum,
“Hear Our Voices,” five women share their joy in teaching the
dharma and the obstacles they’ve faced along the way.)
Women scholars of Buddhism have, of course, been doing
their share. Rita Gross’ Buddhism after Patriarchy provided for
many the clarion call for action. Other women scholars have
The Path We Walk as Women
JAN WILLIS