Resources on the history, practice, and challenges of Buddhist women, from the time of the Buddha to the present.

It is an excellent custom of study that when a nun has attained the way, attained dharma, and started to teach, monks who seek dharma and study join her assembly, bow to her, and ask about the way. It is just like finding water at the time of thirst.

–Dogen, “Attaining the Marrow by Bowing”

In First Buddhist Women, Susan Murcott presents the voices of women who were disciples of the Buddha. In most cases, all we have are a name and a poem. Murcott brings to life the history and context of early sangha and the challenges facing women in ancient India.

In this version of the Therigatha, the ancient collection of poems by the first Buddhist nuns, Matty Weingast offers illuminating interpretations that imaginatively reveal the buried layers of meaning in the often short verses.

A tome for the ages, Zen priest Florence Caplow and lay teacher Susan Moon edit this anthology of 52 women Dharma practitioners writing on Buddhist women from the time of the Buddha to the present. More than a biographical catalog, The Hidden Lamp is a tool for throwing light on anyone’s practice.

Koans are traditional Zen stories, usually nothing more than a brief dialog between a teacher and student that through time acquire layers of verse and prose commentary by later teachers. Zen Echoes is a unique collection edited by the 12th-century Chinese Chan [Zen] nun Miaozong, who was highly praised by her teacher, the renowned Dahui Zonggao. Two 17th-century nuns, Baochi and Zukui add verses and commentary.

Women Living Zen portrays contemporary and historical Japanese Zen nuns fearlessly expressing the Dharma. At once a rigorous study and heartfully engaged encounter, Paula Arai shares exemplary lives dedicated to radical everydayness.