Buddhist Nuns and Gendered Practice: In Search of the Female Renunciant

by Nirmala S Salgado

Based on extensive research in Sri Lanka and interviews with Theravada and Tibetan nuns from around the world, Salgado's groundbreaking study urges a rethinking of female renunciation. How are scholarly accounts complicit in reinscribing imperialist stories about the subjectivity of Buddhist women? How do key Buddhist "concepts" such as dukkha , samsara, and sila ground female renunciant practice? Salgado's provocative analysis questions the secular notion of the higher ordination of nuns as a political movement for freedom against patriarchal norms. Arguing that the lives of nuns defy translation into a politics of global sisterhood equal before law, she calls for more-nuanced readings of nuns' everyday renunciant practices.

Genres: Buddhism, Womens, Religion

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Linda Walters]

Two things about this book need to made clear from the outset. First, this is an academic work; not a "popular" book about Buddhist nuns. That means that it contains a generous garnishing of academic terminology, numerous footnotes, references to other scholarly works, including articles in peer-reviewed specialist journals. That said, if you enjoy, or can tolerate, reading such works, the information content is well worth the price of admission. Second, the focus of the book is almost entirely on Theravada nuns, particularly those in Sri Lanka.

With those two caveats in mind, this is a very worthwhile book for even the non-specialist.