Being a North American Buddhist Woman
Being a North American Buddhist Woman
Reflections of a Feminist Pioneer
In this chapter, the author likes to reminisce about some of her key experiences and insights as a North American Buddhist woman and scholar-practitioner. Buddhist teachings are extremely simple and basic. In Buddhism, as in many religious traditions that emphasize personal transformation through spiritual practices, the teacher–student relationship is subtle and profound. It is up to the student to discern that the teacher is trustworthy, not a spiritual fraud, and then to practice assigned disciplines seriously; the teacher has the responsibility to discern the student's needs accurately and not to gratify her or his own ego needs through having disciples. It illustrates that in authentic Buddhism, that profound view and the accompanying practices are transmitted by a teacher. Nowadays, most or all of these teachings and practices are also available in books, but without personal instruction from a teacher, it is difficult to grasp these teachings at a deep level.
Keywords: Buddhist teachings, religious traditions, personal transformation, Buddhism, scholar-practitioner
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