Sakyadhita’s achievements are many and multifold….

Education and Training Projects

Creating nunneries and women’s centers where young women can receive shelter, skills, education, training as teachers, and ordination as nuns if they wish, is a way to set in motion concentric circles of benefit, transforming many lives. Sakyadhita’s bi-annual international conferences have been a way to bring women together and galvanize energies, giving rise to study programs, shelters, economic development projects, retreat centers, and monasteries, as a natural result. Although Buddhist women’s advancement is a long-term effort, the conferences have already made significant contributions to improving the educational, religious, and social opportunities available to women throughout Asia .

Here are some of the programs that have evolved out of conference activities:

• Jamyang Foundation – an innovative study program for young girls and nuns in the Himalayas and tribal areas of Bangladesh .
• Sakyadhita Institute for Buddhist Women established in SriLanka – conducts social and leadership training programmes
• Sanghamitta School for girls established in tribal Bangladesh – provides medical, health, social and spiritual education to the under privileged.

Interfaith Initiatives

Sakyadhita is part of an increasing global commitment to the study and appreciation of the world’s diverse religions, philosophies, and cultures. In line with these values, Sakyadhita is committed to bringing harmony and understanding among the Buddhist traditions and the world’s religions by: (1) encouraging interfaith solutions to religious, social, and economic problems, and ( 2) reducing sectarianism among the various Buddhist traditions.

Interfaith gatherings, networking, and research have been a key element of Sakyadhita activities since its beginning, even if those activities were controversial at times. Many members, supporters, and presenters at conferences and retreats have come from Jewish, Christian, and Hindu backgrounds.

Activities

The remarkable achievements of Sakyadhita have been accomplished due to the commitment of the volunteer staff that emerged from the membership and the Board. Primary among Sakyadhita’s many achievements are: creating and successfully producing a complex series of bi-annual international forums; creating national and local chapters and forums; supporting community-based education and training programs; and publishing conference results. The relatively small number of individuals responsible know that these achievements have been accomplished only through their continuous efforts and deep personal commitment to the mission, the enthusiasm and support of all members, and seeing tangible results of their efforts to improve the lives of others.

International Conferences

Since its inception as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in 1987 in California, Sakyadhita has organized the only series of comprehensive international conferences for lay and ordained Buddhist ever held in Buddhism’s 2500-year history.

Local Conferences and Events

In addition to its international conferences, Sakyadhita has organized meditation retreats, local discussions, and colloquia in numerous locations.

Community-Based Educational and Training Programs

Conferences facilitate Sakyadhita’s mission and also provide a base upon which other Sakyadhita goals are approached: the creation of support structures, including cottage industries, education programs, and monasteries for women in developing countries.

Creative Achievements : Publications, Videos, CDs

These videos and CDs help to extend Sakyadhita’s mission of increasing understanding and compassion throughout the world.

• Sakyadhita: Daughters of the Buddha (Snow Lion Publications, 1989).
• Buddhism through American Women’s Eyes (Snow Lion Publications, 1995).
• Sisters in Solitude: Two Traditions of Monastic Ethics for Women (State University of New York Press, 1996).
• Buddhist Women Across Cultures: Realizations (State University of New York Press, 1999).
• Innovative Buddhist Women: Swimming Against the Stream (Curzon Press, 2001).
• Buddhist Women and Social Justice: Ideals, Challenges, and Achievements (State University of New York Press, 2004).
• Bridging Worlds: Buddhist Women’s Voices Across Generations (Yuan Chuan Press, 2004)
• Discipline and Practice: Buddhist Women Past and Present (Sakyadhita, 2004).
• Translations of these publications have appeared in Burmese, German, Marathi, and Tibetan, and being prepared in Chinese and other languages.
• Three videos have been produced: “The Power of Compassion” documents the 4th Sakyadhita conference in Ladakh; “Women in Buddhism: Unity and Diversity” and “Living and Dying in Buddhist Cultures” .
• A CD entitled “The 14th Dalai Lama in Hawaii” has recently been released by Sakyadhita to bring this Noble Peace Laureate’s message of peace and compassion to a wider audience.

Sakyadhita: A Vital Communications Network

Communications and networking for compassionate social action is the heart of Sakyadhita.

Newsletter

The Sakyadhita newsletter, published continuously since 1990, is the organization’s primary communications link for networking among Buddhists and the international women’s community.

Website

The Sakyadhita website (http://www.sakyadhita.org) was created in 1997 to publicize the organization’s goals and activities, to create a forum for discussion among members, and to serve as a resource directory for research on Buddhist women.