Elizabeth Swanepoel
\nUniversity of Pretoria<\/p>\n
This article investigates the nature of gender imbalance in Tibetan Buddhism, particularly pertaining to the unavailability of bhik\u1e63u\u1e47\u012b<\/em> ordination, and the specific role Western nuns have played in contributing to transforming this imbalance. The article postulates that male privilege continues to dominate the institutional cultures of religious life in Tibetan Buddhism. However, fertile tensions have of late emerged between an underground tradition of highly accomplished female practitioners and the institutional preference for male practitioners. A revalorization process has been initiated in recent years by a number of Western female Buddhologists, some of whom are also fully ordained Tibetan Buddhist nuns. The article highlights the efforts of these accomplished nuns as well as a number of other prominent Western Tibetan Buddhist nuns. <\/p>\n Read article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ISSN 1076-9005 Volume 21, 2014 Blossoms of the Dharma: The Contribution of Western Nuns in Transforming Gender Bias in Tibetan Buddhism Elizabeth Swanepoel University of Pretoria This article investigates the nature of gender imbalance in Tibetan Buddhism, particularly pertaining to the unavailability of bhik\u1e63u\u1e47\u012b ordination, and the specific role Western nuns have played in contributing … Continue reading Transforming Gender Bias in Tibetan Buddhism<\/span>