In Search of Buddha's Daughters: A Modern Journey Down Ancient Roads

by Christine Toomey, Alison Larkin (Narrator)

In 2011, Christine Toomey met an unforgettable group of Tibetan Buddhist nuns. After hearing their stories - of prison, extreme hardship, and ultimately fleeing into exile - she resolved to learn more about the private, courageous women of who they are, their experience of suffering, what motivates them to seek enlightenment, and what stands in their way. Toomey's quest took on even greater urgency with the sudden deaths of her father and mother and her own search for healing wisdom in the aftermath of loss.

In Search of Buddha's Daughters introduces us to women from around the world who have come to the ordained life from every faith and career. Toomey meets a Harvard graduate who sometimes breaks into hip-hop moves after meditating, a Japanese nun who has written best-selling erotica, and a Nepalese order of nuns who practice kung fu for spiritual and physical empowerment.

Through insightful conversations with over 30 women, Toomey investigates Buddhism as an antidote to the problems of life in the 21st century and considers the status of women today worldwide and within one of our oldest wisdom traditions.

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction, Religion, China, Spirituality, History, Japan

Audible Audio

First published February 23, 2016

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

The information about the lives of nuns is light and hard to dig out with the dominating focus of the authors journey. it would be great to see a version of this rewritten to remove the authors journey and opinions to present a clear picture of what is happening across the world for women in Buddhism today.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

As part of her own spiritual journey and search for truth following the death of both her parents, journalist Toomey interview Buddhist nuns around the world, asking about what brought them to take up the robes and follow the traditions. In doing so, she meets women who have led a rich variety of lives before taking vows. The life of a Buddhist nun is not an easy one and it is marked by sexism in traditional Buddhist cultures, the need to support oneself, and societal expectations. Toomey's account is thoughtful, compassionate, and full of insight. Highly recommended.

[Ruby Grad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The topic of the ordination of women in Buddhism has great interest for me as a long-term practitioner. I know some Buddhist nuns (Westerners), and I'm aware of the controversy surrounding the ordination of women in Theravada and Tibetan Buddhism. It was great to read her conversations with a variety of women who have ordained and the descriptions of where and how they live. On the other hand, there were some errors I caught (John Kabat-Zinn's background is as much Theravada as Zen if not more) and the explanation of ordination in the Ajah Chah lineage of the Thai Forest Theravada tradition was not full enough for the reader to really understand what happened. And I couldn't figure out why there was a section on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, as that is secular mindfulness, and women who ordain are Buddhists, not secular practitioners.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, educational and well crafted. Very interesting.

[Tasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein wundervolles, interessantes Buch, das allerdings im letzten Drittel ziemlich nachlässt. Hier hätte es geholfen, das Erzählmuster aufzumischen oder statt über Europa zu reden, mehr in die Tiefe zu gehen, wie es den Nonnen in Asien in ihrem Alltag ergeht. Toomey erfragt vor allem den Weg, wie die Nonnen ihren Weg in die Klöster gefunden haben (was - wie sie selbst sagt - außerdem des Sinns von Buddhismus liegt), was spannend ist, aber ich hätte mir gewünscht auch noch mehr über ihr Leben, ihre Gedanken, ihre Wandlungen der Gegenwart zu erfahren.

Aber ansonsten war es ganz fantastisch!

[Boho Beannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy books about how people live out their spiritual convictions, and this was exactly in that vein. The stories of the women she interviewed were very compellingly and inspiring. The weaving of her own story, was at times distracting, but didn't take away from the overall theme of the book. I enjoyed the way the book was organized by region and the wide variety of women and types of Buddhism represented.

[Ashlee Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved that this book was not only the narrative of an incredibly insightful journey but that it centered women in a sphere where they have been traditionally oppressed, belittled, or removed altogether. Each biographical account truly had me in awe of these nun's feminine power, energy and resilience in the face of adversity. I particularly loved that Toomey included a good amount of historical context when addressing each location she traversed. My biggest critique is that I wish the author had taken herself out of the narrative more, which she did pretty consistently until about half way. The author weaving her own journey into that of the nuns added a layer of western perspective that I felt was not only unnecessary but detracting.

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great audiobook. I felt like I was traveling to all these beautiful places with the author; in fact, many times I wished I were there with her. What an incredible experience it must have been to research this book. It's a great blend of travelogue, girl power, and spirituality. If this trifecta appeals to you, download this book.

[Noreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended for Closet Western Buddhists. Thank you Christine Toomey.
Travel: Current Buddhist convents around the world.
The nature of Buddhism does not encourage blind worship or idolatry. For the first 500 years after Buddhas death, he was represented by only images of an empty throne, a footprint and a bodhi tree.
1. Cultural interpretation varies by country. Some practices, females are considered unclean because of mensuration.
2. Christian nuns are supported by the convent and religious community.
Buddhist nuns are self-supporting.
Both Christian and Buddhist nuns shave their heads.
3. Pure minds are not contaminated with sexual desire. The idea behind Tantric practices is to transcend the mental contamination of sexual desire and harness sexual energy. The women chosen for this practice are "sky dancers."

Tibetan Buddhism Gelug school/Dalai Lama relies heavily on rigorous intellectual inquiry. This tradition of debate is a key tool for refining the practice and theory of Buddhist philosophy and logic, sharpening the analytical capacity of students. Its central purpose is to defeat philosophical misconceptions and help those engaged in debate to understand and later meditate on, central Buddhist teachings, rather than automatically accepting anything as a matter of doctrine. This principle is a fundamental tenet of all Buddhist practice.

Dalai Lama: It's not the clothes you wear that make you a monk or nun. It's the way you live, having a pure mind.

[Samantha Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like dipping your toe in a body of water that you can sense is very deep. It introduced the reader to the vast world of women ordained in various Buddhist traditions. Some reviewers complained that it didn't go deeper, but I don't think it meant to. It was light reading, and I found that it inspired me to want to learn more about these and other women like them. It was not meant to explain Buddhism. I hope to come across more books like this as I felt motivated to deepen my own practice.

[B.A. Crisp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poignant and moving. This is a story of triumph and resilience as told by the women who made a decision to eschew materialism or abuse for a life of mindfulness and empowerment. When I read about a woman who’d had to watch her son killed and then buried him before being sent to a “rape camp”, it made our “problems” seem paltry. Toomey writes with great reverence about her subject matter. Her descriptions plant you right in scene where you’re able to see, taste, smell and feel the magical places she travels on her journey. A great read and very well done.

[Dawnene · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read - I gained a broader knowledge and understanding of how women/nuns function within the various sects of Buddhism. I felt the author did a good job of laying out the book as a journey. I would have rated it a 5 star if not for the final couple chapters which fizzled out for me. Overall, a good read and recommended to anyone interested in the role of women in Buddhism throughout the world.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author seems earnest, but the end product is sort of meh. She doesn't come off as terribly knowledgeable about Buddhism, and doesn't manage to forge the personal relationships with nuns that would have allowed her to delve below surface observations (again and again, her interview subjects decline to answer her questions). Too much space wasted on descriptions of their attractiveness--who cares?

[Akkire55 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Girls Revolt - story cohesion + the Dharma = In Search of Buddha’s Daughters*

*i like this book over all but think the writing and chapter sections )and I did have an ARC, maybe it got edited) were disjointed. And while I didn’t want too much of the writers POV, I wanted more than she offered in the few personal anecdotes she did share as to why she was writing/on this particular journey.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and helped me scrap the surface of understanding Buddhism and the different branches. I found the stories uplifting and the writing style entertaining. The one thing that seemed to irk me was the fact that the nuns did not want to go in depth with their stories perhaps for fear of suffering unnessarily again.

[Ileana C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressed. I had little grasp, almost to none knowledge about buddhism. This book made me travelled around the world to understand buddhism and the evolution of buddhism in woman's life. How buddhism has been adopted in the West and how the East still has a lot of work to do in gender equality in the practice of buddhism. Love it!

[Wendy Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely chronicle of the journey of women as nuns in recent Buddhist history. The author travels the globe introducing the reader to amazing practitioners. I missed having a map to place the author throughout her journey. Highlights include socio-political struggles through another form of patriarchy.

[Bradley Farless · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. There's a difference between ideology and lived reality in religions and this book clearly explores the experiences of women in various Buddhist traditions.

It was really quite disappointing to see how poorly women have been and are treated overall in most Buddhist traditions, but heartening to see that progress is being made.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about a variety of Buddhist practices by women around the globe. Short segments about many different women. Not a super compelling read but nice light read to gain more insight. Not a great read if looking for in-depth information about Buddhism.

[blyth nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring!

Insightful reporting of women's efforts around the world to promote mindfulness. Interesting journey to many parts of the world exploring various forms of Buddhism.

[Lael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, highly interesting and inspiring.

[Charli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate the clarity with which she "speaks". I loved being introduced to women I would never have know about before reading this. The pictures are clear and multifaceted.

[Fermentum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very intetesting, Historical, Enlightening. I would frequently stop and look up things mentioned in the book. I learned quite a few things.

[Ruchira Datta · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the whole book was absorbing, I found Chapters 11 ("Route 101"), 12 ("East of the Cascades"), and 16 ("Quiet Revolutions") particularly thought-provoking.

[Nancy McQueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful look at the ways that Buddhist Nuns have made their path through adversity.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I was very engaged with the material, but less interested in the author's journey, which provided crucial framing, but also tended to meander.

[Angie Taggart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an amazing journey into the lives of women whose stories are mostly untold. It was also inspiring and makes me want to take a pilgrimage of my own. Loved it!

[Jessica Zu · Rating 4 out of 5]

fascinating bios of amazing buddhist nuns around the word. but needs to read between the lines, otherwise itll read like anti-commi propaaganda

[Anjalica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[Gina Marcelin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why do women become monks/nuns? Not for the reasons you might think. Interesting, but not compelling.