Meeting the Great Bliss Queen : Buddhists, Feminists, and the Art of the Self Book

Contents: Acknowledgements. Preface. I. Terms of the discussion: 1. Introduction: opening the conversation and meeting the Great Bliss Queen. 2. Persons: then and now, here and there. II. Practice and theory: 3. Mindfulness and subjectivity. 4. Gain or drain? Compassion and the self-other boundary. 5. Self: one exists, the other doesn’t. III. Women and the Great Bliss Queen: 6. Non-dualism and The Great Bliss Queen. 7. Becoming the Great Bliss Queen: her ritual. 8. In conclusion. Notes. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.

"Despite the daunting barriers of geography and language that separate them, Buddhism and contemporary feminism have much to say to each other. Buddhist practices such as mindfulness (in which calm centering and keen awareness of change co-exist) and compassion (in which the self in recognized as both powerful in itself and inter-dependently connected with all others) can be important resources for contemporary women, while feminism can expand the traditional horizons of Buddhist concerns to include social, historical, and psychological issues. The image, and ritual of the Great Bliss Queen, an important Buddhist figure of enlightenment, form the unifying theme of the book, modeling the practices and theory that can assist each of us being at one with ourselves and fully engaged with others." (jacket)