Women Living Zen

In this study, based on both historical evidence and ethnographic data, Paula Arai shows that nuns were central agents in the foundation of Buddhism in Japan in the sixth century. They were active participants in the Soto Zen sect, and have continued to contribute to the advancement of the sect to the present day. Drawing on her fieldwork among the Soto nuns, Arai demonstrates that the lives of many of these women embody classical Buddhist ideals. They have chosen
to lead a strictly disciplined monastic life over against successful careers and the unconstrained contemporary secular lifestyle. In this, and other respects, they can be shown to stand in stark
contrast to their male counterparts.

Author Biography

Paula Arai is associate professor of Asian religions at Louisiana State University. Her research interests include Japanese Buddhist rituals, arts, and practices; women’s experiences and contributions; and healing. Her primary research is based on anthropological fieldwork in Japan and has been supported by Fulbright, American Council of Learned Societies, Mellon Foundation, and the Reischauer Institute of Harvard University. In addition to numerous articles and chapters in edited volumes, Arai is also the author of Bringing Zen Home: The Healing Heart of Japanese Women’s Rituals.