Sasson’s new book is a retelling of the story of the women’s request for ordination. Inspired by the Therigatha 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 narrative to this day.
Table des matières
Table of Contents
Introduction
Introduction [+]1-6
Story One
Many Years Later: Vimala Remembers the Gathering Women [+]7-13
Chapter 1
The Buddha Said No [+]14-20
Chapter 2
Vimala’s Story Begins [+]21-32
Chapter 3
The Leap [+]33-36
Chapter 4
The Gathering [+]37-44
Chapter 5
The Past Comes Charging In [+]45-51
Story Two
Many Years Later: Vimala and Darshani [+]52-54
Chapter 6
The Walking Begins [+]55-66
Chapter 7
Patachara [+]67-71
Chapter 8
Beads and Mirrors [+]72-82
Chapter 9
The Long Road [+]83-90
Chapter 10
Flying Horses [+]91-100
Chapter 11
The Flying Sage [+]101-108
Chapter 12
River Mud [+]109-118
Chapter 13
Vesali [+]119-126
Chapter 14
Hollowed-Out Mess [+]127-134
Chapter 15
The Great Woman Tree [+]135-142
Chapter 16
Bhadda Kundalakesa [+]143-154
Chapter 17
Muttering and Mad [+]155-163
Chapter 18
Motherhood Lost and Found [+]164-177
Chapter 19
Ananda [+]178-187
Chapter 20
The Eight Heavies [+]188-204
Story Three
Many Years Later: The Great Immensity [+]205-210
End Matter
Notes [+]211-264
Study Questions265-266
Bibliography267-277
Acknowledgements279-280
A propos de l’auteur
Vanessa R. Sasson is Professor of Religious Studies at Marianopolis College.