Photo by Matthew Wakem. From pinterest.com
Buddhist women—lay and monastic alike—make up half of the Fourfold Sangha. Naturally, they too should benefit from equal access to all Buddhist institutions, but the painful truth is that this ideal has not always been realized throughout history, and even today women continue to be underrepresented and denied rights and respect.
We at Buddhistdoor Global believe that when women are provided with equality, opportunites, and inclusion, the Fourfold Sangha and by extension Buddhist society as whole is elevated. In order to grow toward progress as a global sangha we need women, both monastic and lay, as teachers, students, and practitioners, just as much as we need men. We need to work together and to listen to each other. To support women on the Buddhist path and to inspire others to open their hearts and minds to their voices, we attribute our special issue for 2018 to the Women of Buddhism.
Like many other Buddhist media platforms, Buddhistdoor Global is working hard to ensure a truly authentic, authoritative, and honest representation of Buddhist women throughout our work. But this year we aims to try something new: rather than simply conducting interviews or writing about the inspiring women that we meet, we have asked women from various Buddhist traditions, of different ethnicities, ages, and backgrounds to share their own stories from their own perspective. Women of Buddhism is about their journey, their struggle, and their insights, told in their own voices.
Keep an eye on our special issue page for quarterly updates. To ensure inclusion and representation, each update will include one article from a laywoman and one from a monastic, representing all schools and geographical regions.
Are you a lay or monastic daughter of the Buddha? And would you like to share your story? Please contact us at info@buddhistdoor.com
We hope you enjoy reading the stories presented here!