The gathering : a story of the first Buddhist women / Vanessa R. Sasson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sasson, Vanessa R., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women in Buddhism--Fiction.

Women in Buddhism.

Ordination of women--Buddhism--History--Fiction.

Ordination of women.

Women--Religious aspects--Buddhism--Fiction.

Women.

Genre:

Historical fiction.

Physical Description:

viii, 280 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Sheffield ; Bristol, CT : Equinox Publishing Ltd, 2023.

Summary:

The Gathering is a retelling of the story of the women's request for ordination. Inspired by the Therigata and building on years of research and experience in the field, Sasson follows Vimala, Patachara, Bhadda Kundalakesa, and many others as they walk through the forest to request full access to the tradition. The Buddha's response to this request is famously complicated; he eventually accepts women into the Order, but specific and controversial conditions are attached. Sasson invites us to think about who these first Buddhist women might have been, what they might have hoped to achieve, and what these conditions might have meant to them thereafter. By shaping her research into a story, Sasson invites readers to imagine a world that continues to inspire and complicate Buddhist narratives to this day.

Contents:

Introduction

Many Years Later: Vimala Remembers

1. The Buddha Said No

2. Vimala's Story Begins

3. The Leap

4. The Gathering

5. The Past Comes Charging In Many Years Later: Vimala and Darshani

6. The Walking Begins

7. Patachara

8. Beads and Mirrors

9. The Long Road

10. Flying Horses

11. The Flying Sage

12. River Mud

13. Vesali

14. Hollowed-Out Mess

15. The Great Woman Tree

16. Bhadda Kundalakesa

17. Muttering and Mad

18. Motherhood Lost and Found

19. Ananda

20. The Eight Heavies

Many Years Later: The Great Immensity

Notes

Study Questions

Bibliography

Acknowledgments.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Sasson, Vanessa R. Gathering

ISBN:

9781800503397

1800503393

9781800503403

1800503407

OCLC:

1356223196

Publisher Number:

90100547546