Since the time of the Buddha, women have played significant roles in Buddhist societies, but until recently their contributors have often gone unrecognized. In the past two decades, the landscape has shifted dramatically. Buddhist women have come out of the shadows and begun to take active roles, both in the spheres of religion and social transformation. The 1st Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women held in 1987 in Bodhgaya, India, gave rise to a revolutionary new awareness among Buddhist women that has led to major changes throughout the Buddhist world.
Out of the Shadows: Socially Engaged Buddhist Women is a collection on essays that sheds light on Buddhist women’s vast achievements. These essays recount women’s Struggles against tremendous odds, their earnest spiritual practice, and their diligent efforts to relieve the suffering of the world. Beginning with the story of the Buddha’s wife and spanning more than two thousand years of history, the essays illuminate the lives of Buddhist laywomen and nuns, from a diversity of cultures throughout Asia and beyond. The richness and variety of their struggles and accomplishments are a valuable chapter in women’s history and an inspiring legacy.
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