The Woman Who Raised the Buddha - The Extraordinary Life of Mahaprajapati

Zusatztext “Mahaprajapati lived more than 2,500 years ago and resources that might shed light on her life are rare. I therefore commend Wendy Garling for her extensive research, putting pieces from multiple sources together with her personal reflections, to write her book The Woman Who Raised the Buddha .”—from the foreword by H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama “An important contribution to filling a major gap in Buddhist studies and a triumph in understanding Buddhism through a feminist lens.”— Library Journal “A no-brainer for historians and serious students of Buddhism.”— Publishers Weekly “Garling’s book helps restore balance to the Buddhist narrative, relying on early women’s stories translated from Buddhism’s first written languages. . . . It illuminates the turbulent life and times of Mahaprajapati, a woman who not only loved and nurtured her adopted son as her own, but had the courage and spirit of adventure needed to confront entrenched men’s dominance.”— Foreword Reviews “Scholar and dharma teacher Wendy Garling’s groundbreaking new biography, The Woman Who Raised the Buddha draws a captivating portrait of a foundational but often overlooked figure in Buddhism. . . . Garling blends storytelling and insightful commentary to reinstate Mahaprajapati as an inspiring first mother of Buddhism.”— Lion’s Roar “In this winning biography, researcher Wendy Garling introduces readers to Mahaprajapati. . . . Her writing is clearly informed by deep primary-source research into Buddhist texts from across Asia. Part of the joy of the book is the way she weaves together story after story—this one from Thailand, that one from Myanmar or Tibet—to piece together Mahaprajapati’s life.”— Wellesley Magazine “By reconstructing Mahaprajapati’s life, Garling introduces us to a network of women who sought deeper connections with each other and their communities; women who were brave, intelligent, and flawed, who experienced joy and suffering, and who rallied together to fight for their rightful place in both the physical world and in the spiritual realm. The result is captivating, and Garling’s storytelling qualities make this book a real pleasure to read.”—Buddhistdoor Global “Highly recommend this pioneering account of [Mahaprajapati], a remarkable woman’s life and legacy, not least because it introduces us to some remarkably moving and instructive stories, succeeding admirably in shifting its subject from relative marginalisation to a central role, in which she certainly belongs.”—Asian Review of Books “A work of exceptional scholarship that has created an impressively informative biography that reads with all the compelling interest of a well-honed novel, The Woman Who Raised the Buddha: The Extraordinary Life of Mahaprajapati must be considered as a 'must-read' volume for all Buddhists. Having an immense value for both academia and the nonspecialist general reader with an interest in the subject, The Woman Who Raised the Buddha is especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Buddhist Studies collections.”—Midwest Book Review “We extend deep gratitude to Wendy Garling for all her meticulous research into the story of Mahaprajapati Gautami, bringing to light forgotten anecdotes and illuminating this most important woman in Buddhist history. In this fascinating book, Mahaprajapati comes alive and we appreciate her enormous contribution—from nursing the infant bodhisattva to helping her stepson the Buddha establish his vision of the Fourfold Sangha. Who knew that the marvelous circumstances at the time of her death exceeded those of the Buddha Himself? She was indeed supreme among nuns.”—Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Founding Director of Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery “Weaving together dozens of ancient sources and informed by the very best modern scholarship, Wendy Garling’s li...

Product details

• Authors: Wendy Garling, H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
• Publisher: Shambhala Publications
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 23.03.2021
• EAN: 9781611806694
• ISBN: 978-1-61180-669-4
• No. of pages: 272
• Dimensions: 152 mm x 228 mm x 19 mm
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Other religions