Women have been in the Buddhist communities from the very beginning. In this first module, we will begin our journey by looking for women in the early days of Buddhism: in the Buddha’s life story, in their own voices as the Buddha’s disciples, and in the rules and regulations that deal with their daily lives. In our discussion of women’s presence in early Buddhism, we will also explore together the tangling themes to be unraveled in the next three modules: the (im)purity of female bodies, the ambivalence of motherhood, and women’s ability to achieve enlightenment and her access to Buddhist practices.Key questions include: How did Buddhism come to Tibet? What’s “Tibetan” about Tibetan Buddhism? What has become of Tibetan Buddhism since the mid-20th century, as Tibetan communities have spread across the globe?

Moving on from the narrative and literary traditions in early Buddhism, this module queries women’s potential for enlightenment, a fundamental issue for all Buddhist women. We will approach the issue from two directions: textual and anthropological. By reading together key Mahayana scriptures, we will discuss the mixed responses to the question “can one achieve enlightenment in a woman’s body?” By following the lived realities of Buddhist nuns, we also pay attention to the real struggles to achieve enlightenment within and outside the confines of the monastery.

In this module, we meet a new form of Buddhism, tantric Buddhism, and some new questions it raises about Buddhist women. While some argue that the tantric principle of nonduality and its revalorization of the body and sexuality could empower women in tantric communities, the ambivalent status of consorts in a tantric relationship and the scarcity of female leaders might prove otherwise. By reading together the life stories – in short and long forms – of female tantrikas in India and Tibet, we will contemplate together on this new dilemma presented to Buddhist women.

The last module ties up the various strands in our discussion of women in Buddhism by looking at their contemporary reverberations. How do Buddhist women today think about the problem of ordination, enlightenment, and their embodied practice? There is some good news: an unprecedented number of female monastics are receiving equal ordination status and education opportunities; many women are assuming leadership roles in their respective communities and making meaningful changes. At the end of our journey, I invite you all to vision a path forward for a global sisterhood of Buddhist women.