An overview of books and articles about female (Zen) practitioners throughout history. This list is far from complete, but hopefully, it provides an idea of the interesting and accessible literature available in this area. If you have suggestions for literature to add, please let us know at info@vrouweninzen.nl
MYTHICAL WOMEN ANCESTORS
– Buddha’s Daughters, Kate Blickhahn, 2011
Fifty stories from Buddhism about mythical women, nuns, and laywomen from the time of the Buddha, as well as women from the Tibetan tradition. Historical information and original sources are used to bring the various histories to life.
– Women of the Way, Sallie Tisdale, 2006
A narrative description of mythical, Indian, Chinese, and Japanese (and a few Western) female practitioners for whom information exists, and who have been pivotal in transmitting the dharma throughout the ages.
Women of the Way – Epdf.tips
– Kannon – Japanese Buddhist Statuary
INDIAN WOMEN ANCESTORS
– First Buddhist Women, Susan Murcott, 1992
A translation of the Therigatha, part of the Pali Canon. These are the poems of enlightened nuns from the time of the Buddha, with commentary by Susan Murcott. She also provides an overview of the development and contribution of women to early Buddhism.
– Poems of the First Buddhist Women, Charles Hallisey, 2021
A translation of the Therigatha with minimal commentary.
– Women in the Footsteps of the Buddha, Kathryn R. Blackstone
An extensive study based on historical research, with analysis of language, metaphors, assumptions, and more, to provide an image of the first Buddhist nuns’ community.
Women in the footsteps of the Buddha – Archive.org
– Stars at Dawn, Wendy Garling, 2016
A description of the lives of various women around the Buddha, based on lesser-known Sanskrit and Pali texts. The author first highlights Maya (the Buddha’s biological mother), Mahapajapati (his stepmother), and the women from Prince Siddhartha’s harem. Finally, the stories of the first nuns and female patrons of the Buddha are discussed.
– The Woman Who Raised the Buddha, Wendy Garling, 2021
The book’s subtitle is: The Extraordinary Life of Mahaprajapati. She was the sister of Buddha’s mother, Maya. Mahaprajapati nurtured, cared for, and raised the Buddha, as her sister passed away shortly after his birth. Drawing from various sources, the author tells the story of this remarkable woman through all phases and aspects of her life—as sister, partner of the clan leader, mother, and as a nun who, alongside the Buddha, founded the community for women.
– Lives of Early Buddhist Nuns: Biographies as History, Alice Collett, 2016
Based on recent translations of original Pali texts and commentaries, this book highlights social and cultural themes. Biographies of six nuns from the time of the Buddha are used to delve into these themes.
– Buddha’s Daughters, Kate Blickhahn, 2011
For the description, see under ‘Mythical Female Ancestors’
– Bhuddist women at the time of the Buddha, Helmuth Hecker and translated/rewritten by Sister Khema, 1982
The history of seven women who lived during the time of the Buddha is described.
Bhuddist women at the time of the Buddha – Buddhanet.net
– Vinaya rules for monks and nuns, Ann Heirman, 2019
Artikel over de regels voor monniken en nonnen in de boeddhistische gemeenschap, het ontstaan en naleving ervan in diverse landen van Zuidoost Azië. Of de Vinaya werkelijk opgesteld is door de historische Boeddha, of dat regels later geformuleerd zijn, dan wel bijgesteld of aangepast zijn is niet duidelijk.
An article about the rules for monks and nuns in the Buddhist community, their origins, and adherence in various Southeast Asian countries. It is unclear whether the Vinaya was truly established by the historical Buddha, or if some rules were formulated later, revised, or adapted.
Vinaya Rules for Monks and Nuns – Academia.edu
CHINESE WOMEN ANCESTORS
– Lives of the Nuns: Biographies of Chinese Buddhist Nuns from the Fourth to Sixth Centuries, Kathryn Ann Tsai, 1994
This book is a translation of the Biqiuni zhuan, a collection of biographies compiled by the monk Baochang in the early 6th century. It provides stories from the lives of 65 Chinese nuns who lived from the late 3rd century to the early 6th century.
Lives of the nuns – Virginia University
See also the article: Lives of the nuns – Tricycle.org
– Selected Translations and Analysis of ‘Further Biographies of Nuns’, Annlaug Tho
A thesis containing twelve biographies translated from the collection ‘Further Biographies of Nuns’. This collection was written in the 1940s by Master Zhenhua and includes biographies of 200 Buddhist nuns from the early 6th century to the mid-20th century.
Selected Translations and Analysis of ‘Further Biographies of Nuns’ – Duo.uio.no
– Chinese Buddhist Nuns: A History Of Perseverance, Barbara O’Brien, 2023
Blog with a brief overview of how the order of Chinese Buddhist nuns survived through the ages.
Chinese Buddhist Nuns – Patheos.com
– Daughters of Emptiness: Poems of Chinese Buddhist Nuns, Beata Grant, 2012
Poems by 48 Chinese nuns and female Zen masters from the 3rd century to the early 20th century. The poems are in both Chinese and English, and for each woman a short biographical sketch is provided.
Daughters of Emptiness – Terebess.hu
– Chinese Bhiksunis in the Chan Tradition, Heng-Ching Shih, 1992
An article presenting a four-part framework on the ways women are viewed in the Mahayana sutras. It then explains that Chan is the branch of Buddhism that, throughout the centuries, has upheld the greatest equality between women and men.
Chinese Bhiksunis in the Chan Tradition
– Buddhist Nuns in Sung China (960-1279), Ding-hwa Hsieh, 2000
An article on the position of nuns during the Song period, the significance and opportunities for women, and the role of nunneries.
Buddhist Nuns in Sung China – Terebess.hu
– Dogen’s “Raihaitokuzui” and Women Teachers in Sung Chan, Miriam Levering, 1998
The article outlines the perception of female practitioners and Zen teachers as depicted in various Chan documents. The goal is to clarify the perception Dogen Zenji received during his five-year stay in China, regarding women’s ability to teach the fundamental insights of Chan Buddhism.
Dogens Raihaitokuzui and Women Teachers in Sung Chan – Academia.edu
– Zen Echoes: Classic Koans with Verse Commentaries by Three Female Chan Masters, Beata Grant, 2017
Traditional koans collected and annotated by the female Zen master Miaozong from the 12th century. Two Chinese Zen masters from the 17th century—also women—added their commentary to each koan.
Zen Echoes – Terebess.hu
– Eminent Nuns, Women Chan Masters of Seventeenth-Century China, Beata Grant, 2009
Provides an overview of female Zen masters, based on teachings and descriptions mostly written and preserved by themselves.
Eminent nuns – Terebess.hu
JAPANESE WOMEN ANCESTORS
– Buddhist Nuns in Early Medieval Japanese Sources, Elena Lepekhova, 2015
An article about the emergence of the first Buddhist sangha in Japan in the 6th century. Initially, this sangha consisted solely of nuns.
Buddhist Nuns in Early Medieval Japanese Sources – Researchgate.net
– Buddhist Renunciation and the Female Life Cycle: Understanding Nunhood in Heian and Kamakura Japan, Lori Meeks, 2010
Why did nunhood became a stage in the life cycle of women? How did its reason for it change during Heian, Kamakura, and Muromachi periods? With interesting analyzations about the dress, hair, and religious activities associated with women’s renunciation.
Buddhist Renunciation and the Female Life Cycle – Academia.edu
– Samurai Zen: the Warrior Koans, Trevor Leggett, 1985
A collection of one hundred koans from the time of the samurai in Japan.
Samurai Zen: the Warrior Koans – Terebess.hu
– Women living Zen, Paula Kane Robinson Arai, 1999
On the role of Japanese nuns within Soto Zen. Most of the book focuses on the 20th century, but there is also a chapter on the fundamental contribution of nuns to the introduction of Buddhism in Japan and its continuation through the centuries.
Women living zen – Terebess.hu
ALGEMEEN
– https://terebess.hu/zen/
This site offers an incredible wealth of information about Zen in general, Zen masters, practitioners, monasteries, and PDFs of books and articles.
– Women of the Way, Sallie Tisdale, 2006
For the description, see under ‘Mythical Women Ancestors’.
– Zen Women, Grace Schireson, 2009
An overview of Zen practitioners and their history through the ages. It highlights female ancestors from China, Korea, and Japan.
– The Hidden Lamp, Florence Caplow & Susan Moon, 2013
A collection of one hundred koans and stories of Buddhist women, from the time of the Buddha to the present. Each story has a personal commentary by a contemporary female teacher.
– Nuns and Laywomen in East Asian Buddhism, Lori Meeks in: The Wiley Blackwell Companion to East and Inner Asian Buddhism, Hoofdstuk 16, 2014
An overview of the contributions by women—nuns and laywomen—in the dissemination and transmission of Buddhism in China, Korea, and Japan.
Nuns and Laywomen in East Asian Buddhism – Academia.edu
– The Zen Sourcebook, samengesteld door Stephen Addiss, Stanley Lombardo and Judith Roitman, 2008
Contains chapters with information about Ling-zhao P’ang, Miaozong, Mugai Nyodai, and poems by Chinese nuns.
Zen-sourcebook – Terebess.hu
– The power of denial – Buddhism, purity, and Gender, Bernard Faure, 2003
A book that explores to what extent Buddhism has been liberating or limiting for women throughout history. Through the analysis of Buddhist texts and examples of female practitioners, concepts and images of women are examined.
The Power of Denial, Buddhism Purity and Gender – Researchgate.net