Bowing to the Dharma: Japanese Buddhist Women Leaders & Healers

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.

Keywords

• bowing
• Japanese Zen Buddhism
• women
• ritual
• healing
• leadership