Focusing first on laywomen from the time before the Buddha's enlightenment--his birth mother and stepmother, his co-wives, and members of his harem when he was known as Prince Siddhartha--and then moving on to the Buddha's first female disciple, early nuns, and to female patrons, Garling invites us to open our minds to a new understanding of their role, one that is free from the misogyny of the monastic literary tradition. For the first time, stories widely dispersed in several traditions, including both Pali and Mahayana canonical texts, are woven into a coherent narrative.
These colourful tales are enriched by fresh interpretations that bring gender balance to the traditional accounts. Interspersed with original insights and bold challenges to the status quo, the stories are both entertaining and thought provoking--and at times controversial. More than just a collection of tales, the book is an unprecedented opportunity to rethink the belief that Buddhism has been inherently patriarchal from the beginning. In reclaiming these ancient stories of the Buddha's personal relationships, the author seeks to revive a sense of his full humanity, as well as empower contemporary women to reclaim a shared Buddhist heritage.