Women in Buddhism

At http://members.tripod.com/~vortexCD/wtar... there is a clear image of the beautiful White Tara thangka, explanation of the details in the painting and their spiritual meaning, and some interesting observations about the energies of the three different Taras: White, Green and Red.

Back to http://www.crosswinds.net/~campross/womy... there are links to some of the Buddha's lesser-known (lesser known to me anyway) teachings which feature female figures such as:

• Sister Soma Soma Sutta
• Legend of the Bride of Mero
• The Lion's Roar of Queen Srimala
• Therigatha Verses of the Elder Nuns
• Bhikkuni-Samyutta Suttas (Vipassana)
• The Scripture of Kanzeon Bosatsu (Zen)
• Sariputra's Conversation with The Goddess
• Lotus Sutra Chapter 25 Feminist Translation
• Discourses of the Ancient Nuns
• Miraculous Tales from Japanese Buddhism
• The Universal Gate of Bodhisattva Kanzeon
• Universal Gateway of Avalokitesvara Dharmamitra

This website is Nirvana for a Womens' Studies scholar.

There are also links to information about Western Goddesses and other links such as: Understanding Kishimojin, In the Woods Children's Tale, A Tribute to Feminism CampRoss-ji, Dragon Goddess Shichimen of Kuonji, Buddhist Scriptures for Women Coffeehouse.

For further understanding of Tara, at http://prajnamahavajra.org/sitatara.htm the Tara mantra: OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA is translated line by line. This concentrated gem will give the reader a feeling for the depth and breadth of Tara practice.

Another greatly informative URL is http://www.westernbuddhistreview.com/vol... where one can read an article called: Tara: Her Origins and Development by Dharmachari Purna which appeared in Volume 2 of Western Buddhist Review.

The author begins:

Over my years of meditation on the goddess-Bodhisattva Tara, she has provided me with Refuge and, guiding star that she is, given me a direction by which to steer. I write this in the hope that others may also learn something of her friendly light.

From this devotional beginning, Purna launches into a comprehensive and thorough examination of Tara with sections on: Taaraa's origins (you will find variant spellings as you pursue this topic); Taaraa's Name and Symbols; Mythical Beginnings; Historical Origins;Emergence and Development; Taaraa as Stellar Goddess; Taaraa as Forest and Wind Goddess; Taaraa's Vow. The scholarship throughout is most impressive and robust. In one of her concluding paragraphs, we can see the changes in attitudes toward women brought about by Buddhism:

The significance of Taaraa's vow may best be understood against the background of a variety of attitudes towards women and 'the feminine' that had emerged with early Buddhism and were still in process of emerging by the sixth century C.E., the period that also saw the emergence of Taaraa and other

The copyright of the article Women in Buddhism in Buddhism is owned by Yeshe Chodon. Permission to republish Women in Buddhism in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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