Feminist Philosophy of Buddhism

Deepa Shravasti’s book on the Feminist Philosophy of Buddhism is a serious and scholarly attempt to examine the full range of original Buddhist discourses as well as secondary writings on Buddhism, with particular attention to the role of women in the early Sanghas and their worldview. This is a significant study because, after the Buddhist Bhikkhunis narrated their own experiences in the Therigatha, there has been relatively little scholarly engagement with questions such as how women were admitted into the Buddhist Sanghas, the status they were accorded within monastic life during the Buddha’s lifetime, and the changes that followed thereafter.