Women living Zen : Japanese Sōtō Buddhist nuns / Paula Kane Robinson Arai.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Arai, Paula Kane Robinson.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Monastic and religious life of women--Japan.

Monastic and religious life of women.

Buddhist nuns.

Japan.

Monastic and religious life (Zen Buddhism)--Japan.

Monastic and religious life (Zen Buddhism).

Religious life--Buddhism.

Religious life.

Buddhist nuns--Japan.

Physical Description:

xix, 233 pages, 10 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Oxford University Press, 1999.

Summary:

In this study, based on both historical evidence and ethnographic data, Paula Arai shows that nuns were central agents in the foundation of Buddhism in Japan in the sixth century. They were active participantS in the Soto Zen sect, and have continued to contribute to the advancement of the sect to the present day. Drawing on her fieldwork among the Soto nuns, Arai demonstrates that the Lives of many of these women embody classical Buddhist ideals. They have chosen to Lead a strictly disciplined monastic life over against successful careers and the unconstrained contemporary secular lifestyle. In this, and other respects, they can be shown to stand in stark contrast to their male counterparts.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 213-226) and index.

ISBN:

019512393X

OCLC:

38936629