Enlightenment Has No Gender

Buddhism beyond Gender: Liberation from Attachment to Identity

Shambhala Publications, 2018 208 pages; $24.95

In terma (treasure) traditions, texts appear in the world, mysteriously, at the precise moment when they will have the greatest benefit. Rita Gross’s posthumously published book, Buddhism beyond Gender—set to be released by Shambhala Publications at a time when clarity around gender is needed more than ever—may be just such a treasure. The past year has been a time of enormous energy around examining sexism, patriarchy, abuse, and misogyny within Buddhist communities, as numerous women have come forward to publicly speak out about sexual abuse by Buddhist teachers. While these revelations have sparked confusion and disillusionment, one major current of anger stems from wondering why it has taken so long to acknowledge the insidious and unacknowledged treatment of women in our sanghas. Paralleling these revelations is the #metoo campaign, a grassroots movement of women speaking truth to the ways that sexual harassment, abuse, and systemic misogyny are utterly pervasive and ubiquitous.

is provocative, just as Gross herself was,, published in 1993, sharply reveals the entrenched misogyny within Buddhist communities across the globe with bold calls to reclaim a truly awakened stance. She famously likened combining feminism with Buddhism to pouring “water into water” and argued that any true Buddhist should necessarily be a feminist.