Women of Wisdom

A selection of biographies of six Tibetan female mystics, written by a former Tibetan Buddhist nun who subsequently became a wife and mother. It provides stories of women who, in a variety of difficult situations, have attained enlightenment and liberation. As a religion Tibetan Buddhism sometimes does not take kindly to women, believing women to be incapable of the highest state of awareness. At the same time, however, this tradition also offers immense possibilities for women. Tsultrim Allione provides an account of the hard lives faced by these women revealing their commitment to Buddhism and shows in turn how important women are to the religion.