Buddhist Women on the Edge

the long version

Buddhist Women on the Edge presents the voices of American women on their experiences of Buddhist practice. In thirty thoughtful and provocative essays, a diverse range of contributors - Dharma teachers, scholars, monastics, practitioners, and sympathizers - explore the challenges and rewards of integrating Buddhist practice in the West. Contributors include Tsultrim Allione, Sandy Boucher, Pema Chodron, Rita M. Gross, Jane Hirshfield, bell hooks, Anne C. Klein, Miranda Shaw, Sallie Tisdale, Kate Wheeler, Jan Willis, and many others. The essays explore issues of gender, race, class, and sexuality; lineage, authority,and the accessibility of Buddhist institutions; monastic, lay, and community practice; the teacher-student relationship; psychological perspectives and the role of the emotions; crosscultural adaptation and appropriation; and how spiritual practice informs creativity, personal relationships, and political/social activism.