Today is International Women’s Day, an annual occasion to celebrate the accomplishments of women and remind us of the work that still needs to be done to create a truly equal society. Here are five stories from our archives that highlight progress in Buddhist circles, and the tireless work of women throughout the tradition’s history.

  • Nasty Woman Meditation by Lama Tsultrim Allione
    A vajra dakini meditation to help us connect to the fierce feminine power we all have.
  • The Rising Generation of Female Tibetan Buddhist Leaders by Jennifer Ladonne
    Higher education is (finally) available to Tibetan Buddhist nuns, and paved a way for a new cohort of leaders.  
  • Of Mara and Men by Andrew Olendzki
    Masculine threats kept the nuns of ancient India from traveling alone, but they were anything but helpless.
  • The Making of Mummy-la by Joan Duncan Oliver
    The story of Freda Bedi, a British feminist, Indian nationalist, and the first Western woman to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun (whose name you may not have heard).
  • The Man-made Obstacle by Rita Gross
    If obstacles are an essential aid on the path of awakening, why have women been instructed throughout history to hope to be reborn as a man?   

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