Women Living Zen: Japanese Soto Buddhist Nuns
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.67 (980 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 019512393X |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 272 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-08-23 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
"a long overdue corrective to the androcentric scholarship that has ignored Zen nuns' importance. This very readable book is ideal for classroom use."--Religious Studies Review
They have chosen to lead a strictly disciplined monastic life over against successful careers and the unconstrained contemporary secular lifestyle. Drawing on her fieldwork among the Soto nuns, Arai demonstrates that the lives of many of these women embody classical Buddhist ideals. In this study, based on both historical evidence and ethnographic data, Paula Arai shows that nuns were central agents in the foundation of Buddhism in Japan in the sixth century. In this, and other respects, they can be shown to stand in stark contrast to their male counterparts.. They were active participants in the Soto Zen sect, and have continued to contribute to the advancement of the sect to the
An Ethnography of Soto Zen As an anthropologist also interested in Soto Zen, I found this book to be a jewel. The author, as a Japanese American studying anthropology, accepted an opportunity to live as a monastic in Japan, experience the training and lifestyle, learn about the history and the traditions, and interview many women who had dedicated their lives to Soto Zen practice. Her descriptions are intimate and revealing of the deep spirituality and life purpose of these women. Although it is not the right life for me, or for the author, the book provides moving glimpses the strong sense of dedication on the part of Soto Zen nuns, and why. Insightfuly written from the heart Thomas J. Beyerle This published dissertation by Harvard graduate Paula Kane Robinson Arai is an insightful journey into the lives of Soto Zen nuns in Japan in the late twentieth century. I found it inspiring, hopeful, and objectively written with warmth. These women truly live a religious life in the truth of ancient Buddhist teachings that is relevant to our humanity.. emily"Preeminent work" according to emily2fish. Arai brings great warmth and depth to her scholarship and this is an inspiring read; great account of how Zen nuns kept faith in the traditions of egalitarianism instituted by Great Master Eihei Dogen despite long periods of oppression.. fish said Preeminent work. Arai brings great warmth and depth to her scholarship and this is an inspiring read; great account of how Zen nuns kept faith in the traditions of egalitarianism instituted by Great Master Eihei Dogen despite long periods of oppression.
Paula Kane Robinson Arai is at Vanderbilt University.