Buddhist Women


Video Q & A with Karma Lekshe Tsomo, September 2010

During the 2009-2010 school year, Venerable Tsomo, an American Buddhist nun who is an associate professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of San Diego, traveled to 13 countries in Asia and Europe on a Fulbright grant to research the lives of Buddhist women. She was interviewed by Charlotte Collins for Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women in September 2010 following her year of travel and research. In these video segments, she responds to questions on her observations about Buddhist women and their concerns, about their projects to improve the lives of their communities, about monastic women (nuns) and lay women, and about the interest in Buddhism in the countries she visited.

1. Buddhist Women and Their Concerns (8:54)

Q: During your year of travel and research, where did you go and what was the purpose of your visits to those locations? Would you also tell us about the status of Buddhism in these countries and what you learned about Buddhist women there?


2. Buddhist Women's Projects (7:19)

Q: What are some of the most successful projects developed by Buddhist monastic and lay women that you observed?


3. Buddhist Nuns in Asia and the West (24:27)

Q: What is life like for Buddhist nuns, both in the different Asian countries you visited and in the West?


4. The Jamyang Foundation (4:41)

Q: What is the Jamyang Foundation? How did it get started and how does it aid Buddhist women and girls?


5. Buddhism in India and in Israel 11:04)

Q: Would you talk about the interest in Buddhism that you observed in both India and in Israel?



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