Out of the Shadows: Socially Engaged Buddhist Women

University of San Diego Digital USD Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship Department of Theology and Religious Studies 2019 Out of the Shadows: Socially Engaged Buddhist Women Karma Lekshe Tsomo PhD University of San Diego, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/thrs-faculty Part of the Buddhist Studies Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Digital USD Citation Tsomo, Karma Lekshe PhD, "Out of the Shadows: Socially Engaged Buddhist Women" (2019). Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship. 25. https://digital.sandiego.edu/thrs-faculty/25 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Digital USD. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of Digital USD. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Section Titles Placed Here | I Out of the Shadows Socially Engaged Buddhist Women Edited by Karma Lekshe Tsomo SAKYADHITA | HONOLULU First Edition: Sri Satguru Publications 2006 Second Edition: Sakyadhita 2019 Copyright © 2019 Karma Lekshe Tsomo All rights reserved No part of this book may not be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or by any information storage or retreival system, without the prior written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations. Cover design Copyright © 2006 Allen Wynar Sakyadhita Conference Poster Artwork Copyright © 2004 Ho-Shin Le Photograghs Copyright © 2004 Mike Barber Digital edition layout: Lillian Barnes Contents | v CONTENTS INTRODUCTION xi BUDDHIST WOMEN AND SOCIETY Buddhist Women and a Compassionate Society 3 Martine Batchelor Buddhism in Kinnaur and in the Lives of Kinnauri Women 9 Tenzin Norzin Buddhist Women in Zangskar 11 Chopa Tenzin Lhadron Buddhism in Mongolia and Mongolian Women’s Practice 14 Gantumur Natsagdorj The History of a Buddhist Women’s Datsan in Buryatya 16 Zorigma Budaeva The Quiet Movement of Buddhist Women in Cambodia 19 Peou Vanna A Woman’s Place is in the Home: Master Yinkuang’s Letters on Women and Childrearing 22 I-li Yang Gender and Social Reality in Nepal: Implications for Buddhist Nuns and Social Change 30 Sumon Tuladhar vi | Contents BUDDHIST WOMEN IN WORLD HISTORY Reconstructing Yaśodhara’s Life Narrative: From Siddhārtha’s Wife to Daughter of the Buddha 39 Shu-hui Tsai Women Regaining a Lost Legacy: The Restoration of the Bhikkhunī Saṅgha in Sri Lanka 42 Hema Goonatilake Nuns and Laywomen of the Chinese Teaching of the Three Levels: An Historical Perspective on Lay Status 49 Claudia Wenzel Korean Buddhist Nuns: An Historical Review 54 Gyehwan Sunim Activities of Korean Buddhist Laywomen: An Historical Review 60 Changsook Lee Nun Palmo: A Legend Across Tibetan Communities 66 Ivette Vargas BUDDHIST EDUCATION Teaching Dharma to Children 79 Eliana Morris Buddhist Education for Children 83 Daewon Kwon Education of the Vietnamese Bhikkhunī Saṅgha in Modern Times 89 Thich Nu Nhu Nguyet A Different Dharma? Teaching Buddhism at Universities in the United States 94 Karma Lekshe Tsomo Contents | vii EVERYDAY PRACTICE Dhamma in Everyday Life 105 Anne Mahoney Dhamma in Daily Life: How to Deal with Anger 110 Bhikkhunī Lieu Phap Guidelines for Dhamma Practice in Everyday Life 120 Amita Dhakwa Shakya Food of Dharma: Rituals at Meals and in the Kitchen, A Case Study of Dongein Imperial Nunnery of Japan 120 Shobha Rani Dash Healing Buddhist Women: Ritual, Interrelatedness, and the Core of Buddhist Healing 124 Paula Kane Robinson Arai MEDITATION PRACTICES Samatha and Vipassanā Meditation in the Theravāda Tradition 133 Iljung An The Meaning of Nonduality in the Practice of Compassion 139 Sookyung Hwang Is Karuṇā an Emotion? A Comparison of Asian and Western Approaches 142 Thea Mohr DHARMA AND DISCIPLINE Education and Training for Women at the Time of the Buddha: Implications for Today 159 Thich Nu Dong Anh Buddhist Women and Discipline: An Historical Perspective 164 Thich Nu Gioi Huong viii | Contents The Training and Education of Nuns in Sri Lanka 168 Ranjani de Silva Ordained Women in Yellow Robes: An Unfamiliar “Tradition” in Contemporary Thailand 172 Tomomi Ito Discipline and Practice of Buddhist Women in Korea: Past and Present 176 Kwangwoo Sunim The Art of Self-Cultivation 181 Malia Dominica Wong BUDDHIST MONASTIC TRAINING Basic Training for Korean Buddhist Nuns 187 Iljin Sunim Bodhisattva Kśitigarbha and Buddhist Nuns in Contemporary Taiwan 192 Yuchen Li Master Yinshun and Buddhist Women in Taiwan: Fayuan and Yitong Nunneries, Disciples of Guanyin in Northwest Taiwan 199 Stefania Travagnin Seon Practice and Seon Monasteries for Bhikkhunīs in Korea 212 Wunweol Sunim Crossing Over the Gender Boundary in Gray Rubber Shoes: A Study on Myoom Sunim’s Buddhist Monastic Education 219 Inyoung Chung (Sukdham Sunim) Pomunjong and Hanmaûm Sônwôn: New Monastic Paths in Contemporary Korea 229 Hyangsoon Yi Contents | ix ENGAGED BUDDHIST PRACTICE A Silent Undercurrent: The Significance of Mae chiis’ Socially Engaged Buddhist Practice in Thailand 239 Monica Lindberg Falk Buddhism and Social Welfare in Korea 245 Sangduck Sunim The Buddhist Women’s Movement for Social Change 252 Insook Kim Buddhist Nuns as Community Mentors 256 Junya Pookayaporn Mapping the Trajectories of Engaged Buddhism from China 262 to Taiwan and Vietnam Elise Anne DeVido Volunteer Activities of Korean Buddhist Nuns 281 Jihong Sunim Engaged Buddhism and Community Action 285 Trina Nahm-Mijo THE ORDINATION ISSUE Practice of the Precepts: Lay and Monastic 291 Tenzin Palmo Settling the Debate on Bhikkhunī Ordination in Thailand: Why is It So Difficult? 293 Varaporn Chamsanit Bhikṣuṇī Ordination 302 Jampa Tsedroen Saṅgha: The Enlightened Group of People 307 Shoyo Taniguchi x | Contents BUDDHISM TODAY Practice as a Path to Crosscultural Religious Understanding 321 Anne Carolyn Klein (Rigzin Drolma) On the Equality of Beings in Buddhist Ecology 327 Oksun An Buddhist Nuns on Radio and Television: Disseminating Buddhism through the Mass Media in Korea 334 Jinmyong Sunim When Legal Norms and Buddhist Practices Collide: Australian Lessons on Dealing with Differences 340 Diana Cousens Buddhist Women’s Contributions in the West 346 Karuna Dharma Buddhist Women as Leaders and Teachers: Gender Bias and Democratization 349 Rita M. Gross CONTRIBUTORS 355 INDEX 371 Introduction | xi Introduction n the last few decades, Buddhist women have come out of the shadows and begun to take a visible role in their traditions and on the world stage. Since 1987, when the 1st Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women was held in Bodhgaya, India, Buddhist women have joined hands Iand sparked a transformation of consciousness in the Buddhist world toward greater inclusion and di- versity regarding gender, ethnicity, religion, and social opportunity. Every two years, women and men, lay and ordained, from a rich variety of cultural backgrounds, academic disciplines, and religious traditions, meet together to discuss Buddhist women’s history, values, and perspectives on contemporary issues. These gatherings uniquely incorporate scholarly presentations, sitting meditations, chanting practices, small group discussions, and cultural performances to understand the experiences of Buddhist women around the world. The 8th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women, held in Seoul, Korea, from June 27 to July 4, 2004, was a unique international gathering. Creating a dialogue that unites so many people, disciplines, and perspectives in an atmosphere of mutual respect is a significant contribution to human society. It is especially significant that this dialogue has been initiated by Buddhist women, a segment of society that until recently has been largely ignored. Since 1987, when Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women was formed, scholars, prac- titioners, artists, and activists from around the world have begun to unite at a grassroots level and assume leadership in working for the welfare of the world’s Buddhist women. In a matter of years, working steadily and diligently, despite limited resources, the Buddhist women’s movement gained strength and became recognized as a highly dynamic forum representing over 300 million women worldwide. This global movement, emerging from obscurity into the international spotlight as a force for social change, exemplifies how women from different Buddhist traditions can unite, work harmoniously together, and make significant progress toward global understanding. The chapters in Out of the Shadows: Socially Engaged Buddhist Women were selected from the conference papers presented at the 8th Sakyadhita Conference in Seoul by many unique individuals. Selected by many unique individuals, the theme “Socially Engaged Buddhist Women” was open to many approaches and interpretations, so each writer had the freedom to craft her contribution as she chose. For this reason, the chapters differ in tone, complexity, and length. The chapters are interconnected, but can be read inde- pendently as well. Each article opens a window on a different world, a new vantage point form which to consider women’s spiritual, intellectual, social, and political potential. What is most heartwarming about the chapters is that they all evolved from the sincere motivation to benefit others. The challenges that Buddhist women face in the world today are formidable. Gender bias, poverty, illiteracy,

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