Abstract
The prodigious stream of Japanese Buddhist women in roles of leadership and healing extends the length of Japanese Buddhist history. This article will highlight the transformative power of bowing that helped galvanize Sōtō Zen nuns on the eve of the twentieth century and feature twentieth-century leaders who institutionalized their disciplined commitments. It will also offer a window into the creative healing practices that characterizes women’s activity in the home.
Highlights
The bamboo outside my study window whispered to me: When is bowing an act of strength? A poem appeared on the page: Nature teaches the heart to see.Ever green, Bamboo teaches the heartTo be strong, To bend in the wind.How can you comprehend sutrasIf you do not understandThe supple strength of bamboo?The bamboo helped me see how Japanese Buddhist women wield the transformative power of bowing
Kōshin-san1, a middle-aged novice Zen nun, feels whole again as her forehead touches the woven tatami fiber floor of the worship hall tucked along a quiet street in the metropolis of Nagoya
Kōshin-san had come a long way since she left her 2-decade long career, make-up, and hair behind. Her life had been stable on the outside, but on the Kōshin is a pseudonym for the Dharma name of a Zen nun author interviewed at Aichi Senmon Nisōdo in Nagoya, Japan in the fall of 1989
Summary
The bamboo outside my study window whispered to me: When is bowing an act of strength? A poem appeared on the page: Nature teaches the heart to see. They knew that nuns were supposed to be full members of the sangha, and they were tired of men not recognizing that They saw it as a deficiency in the men’s awareness of nondual wisdom and they understood Buddhist teachings to be respectful of women. They could see deep into their hearts and know in their bones that it was safe to trust the interdependent nature of the universe to support their moral vision of inclusiveness and equal regulations The moral gravity their actions generated compelled the sect to bend with the arc of justice, for their aims were in accord with the metaphysical principles and ethical values the tradition espouses. Bowing both shaped them and shaped the community, dissolving personal and institutional barriers
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