Zen Women: Beyond Tea Ladies, Iron Maidens, and Macho Masters

I expected to read about famous women Zen masters of the past, but what I didn't expect was the fascinating commentary which helped bring them to life on the pages. In all, as a woman I found this book to be entertaining, inspiring, heart-warming, validating, uplifting and thought-provoking. It made me realize that I stand on the shoulders of thousands of years of women practitioners of the past, and makes me feel like I am part of a vast lineage. This one is a keeper for my bookshelf.

This book is very well organized and surprised me with things I did not know--About Mahapajapati, Buddha's step mother and first woman buddhist, and her story of fighting for the right of women to be Buddhists; how the first Buddhist temples in Japan were of women; how women nuns were "engaged" buddhists, with their convents serving as places of refuge for divorced women, etc. The tone is definitely feminist, but I like how Grace Schireson is upfront about it, asking the question in the beginning: What is the difference between men and women in zen? How did women, who practiced alongside men, get left out of the recorded history/lineage? The stories are inspiring for women who wish to feel part of the buddhadharma from the very beginning.

The gift of this book is to us, the readers. Grace Schireson has devoted herself to Women's Zen practice. ( Read 'women' as anyone disenfranchised.) These stories, many haven't been told before, give us a flavor of what it has been like to be a woman finding her way in a male dominated practice. They are grouped into chapters by focussing on founders, convents, sexuality, work, dharma heirs, family. This way we get to see our own lives in the lives of the historical women. Their stories are still alive for us. We can let the energy from the past guide in our lives now whether we are lay practitioners, nuns, priests, from other traditions, whoever we are we have lessons to learn from these women who came before us.Grace Schireson helps us learn in her fun, factual, forward, fascinating style. Yes, a Great Gift to give to us and a Must Read for women and men who want to continue a path of empowerment

I bought this book because I recently have been studying with a Chan Buddhist monastery that is based in Taiwan, but is developing an outreach in the U.S. I thought this book might provide some unique insights as a corollary to that effort. I'm not disappointed to that end at all, as it is a naturally "outsiders'' point of view, sensitive to features that might ordinarily be glossed over in a more traditional approach. Schireson's prose is a good mix of history and anecdote that keeps the subject interesting.

From the first bhikkhunis to Bodhidharma's woman disciple, this book takes another look at Zen's rich history, making a strong argument for the inclusiveness of Zen practice, as opposed to the (often) exclusiveness of its institutions. Also interrogates the notion of a typically theatrical machismo as the only true expression of Zen practice.Having said that, the author has no axe to grind, preferring to invite these women to the table of Zen's official history and, whenever possible, let them speak for themselves, rather than simply lament (and lay blame for) their often historical exclusion.Excellent, incredibly important book.

Grace Schireson shines her light on (in this exceptional account of) women in Zen history. In what could have been a portrayal of women as victims (again) instead, is an uplifting illumination of the female expression of enlightenment as something not separate from her true nature. The Zen woman's teaching is something different than the usual image we have in our heads of a Zen Master, yet equally as effective. This book shifts the focus from our standard of the past, to a rich new world of teachings. Awaken!

An amazing book which chronicles the historical treatment of women in Zen. Time and again as we read this, the thought kept coming up - why haven't we ever heard these stories before!? Zen's history (and buddhism in general) is dominated by a male viewpoint and this text makes the stories of women masters and practitioners accessible in a way I haven't seen before.I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to any student of Zen. It's informative and quite well written.

Feminist propaganda the likes of the most extreme "women's rights activists" (ie Gloria Steinem).I began reading this book to gain wisdom that would challenge the often ambiguous teachings of Dogen and other Zen masters, yet what I found was a bitter and disenchanting diatribe espousing the evils of men! This is not a Zen book, but instead a hateful attack on traditional male culture, Buddhist or not.Mind you, I tried to read this sensationalist drivel with an open mind, even after the first few pages were so negative, but even my female Zen Buddhism instructor admitted that she didn't know why she assigned this book.