Rita M. Gross has long been acknowledged as a founder in the field of feminist theology. One of the earliest scholars in religious studies to discover how feminism affects that discipline, she is recognized as preeminent in Buddhist feminist theology. The essays in A Garland of Feminist Reflections represent the major aspects of her work and provide an overview of her methodology in women's studies in religion and feminism. The introductory article, written specifically for this volume, summarizes the conclusions Gross has reached about gender and feminism after forty years of searching and exploring, and the autobiography, also written for this volume, narrates how those conclusions were reached. These articles reveal the range of scholarship and reflection found in Rita M. Gross's work and demonstrate how feminist scholars in the 1970s shifted the paradigm away from an androcentric model of humanity and forever changed the way we study religion.

A Garland of Feminist Reflections: Forty Years of Religious Exploration

Politics & Social Sciences

Gross, Rita M.

Social Sciences

University of California Press

* Edited and integrated readings with original introductions provide an illustration of cross cultural patterns in women's religious lives; each reading provides a case study of a woman's life within her tradition..* Explores 2 basic patterns of experience--women who become religious leaders and women who combine religious practice with more ordinary lives.

Unspoken Worlds: Women’s Religious Lives

Religion & Spirituality

Falk-Gross, Nancy Auer

Religious Studies

Wadsworth Publishing

With thoroughly integrated readings and original introductions, UNSPOKEN WORLDS provides an illustration of cross-cultural patterns in women's religious lives. Carefully selected works writings by eminent scholars have been judiciously edited by Falk and Gross to weave them into a coherent whole that evolves from simple, vivid portraits of individual women to analyses of complete systems.

Unspoken Worlds: Women's Religious Lives

Falk, Nancy Auer

Cengage Learning'

Buddhism After Patriarchy: A Feminist History, Analysis, and Reconstruction of Buddhism

This book surveys both the part women have played in Buddhism historically and what Buddhism might become in its post-patriarchal future. The author completes the Buddhist historical record by discussing women, usually absent from histories of Buddhism, and she provides the first feminist analysis of the major concepts found in Buddhist religion. Gross demonstrates that the core teachings of Buddhism promote gender equity rather than male dominance, despite the often sexist practices found in Buddhist institutions throughout history.

Buddhism

State University of New York Press

This book surveys both the part women have played in Buddhism historically and what Buddhism might become in its post-patriarchal future. The author completes the Buddhist historical record by discussing women, usually absent from histories of Buddhism, and she provides the first feminist analysis of the major concepts found in Buddhist religion. Gross demonstrates that the core teachings of Buddhism promote gender equity rather than male dominance, despite the often sexist practices found in Buddhist institutions throughout history. "The power of this book comes from the combination of the passion and analytic skill that Gross brings to this feminist reconstruction of the Buddhist tradition. It is a book that should inform all introductory classes on Buddhism. Through a reexamination of basic texts, Gross describes women's experiences in different cultures and epochs, and shows their relevance for the Buddha's Path to Enlightenment as well as for the social roles and images of women in different times and places." -- Frederick J. Streng, Southern Methodist University "Gross has written the magnum opus of feminist critique and revisioning of Buddhism. This has great theoretical and practical significance for feminist theology in its global inter-faith dialogue. The particular merit of this book is its bridging of high quality scholarship and accessibility to the non-expert."-- Rosemary Radford Ruether, Garrett Theological Seminary and Northwestern University "The book will fill a real, indeed urgent, need and be of great service to many Buddhists and students, scholars and friends of Buddhism. Here are some of its many strengths: It clearly harvests years of impassioned study and experience, offers refreshingly bold, original and well-reasoned arguments, and deals with important questions that only a woman who is both a scholar and practitioner would adequately recognize. It appropriately combines both textual work and historical/anthropological perspectives, along with a clearly delineated feminist theoretical stance. It offers a valuable overview of the roles of women and discerning comparisons between them. The feminist analysis of key Buddhist concepts is excellent, especially issues of gender in relation to selflessness, emotions, nonduality. These burning issues for many Western women meeting Buddhism receive here very thoughtful, thorough, original treatment. The 'prophetic voice' that Gross openly brings to the Buddhist tradition is welcome, moving and appropriate." -- Joanna R. Macy

Women's Studies

A professor of philosophy and religion surveys feminist studies of the history of Judaism and Christianity and discusses the changes feminism has wrought in the study of women's religious lives and in religious ritual and leadership.

Feminism and Religion: An Introduction

Literature & Fiction

Beacon Pr

Rita M. Gross offers an engaging survey of the changes feminism has wrought in religious ideas, beliefs, and practices around the world, as well as in the study and understanding of religion itself.

Feminism and Religion

History & Criticism

Beacon Press

Continuum congratulates Rita M. Gross on being the recipient of the 1999 Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award.As a practicing Buddhist for over 20 years, Rita Gross is concerned with how Eastern wisdom traditions transform our lives, and are themselves transformed by contact with the wisdom of the West.Rita Gross considers "lifestyle" issues, from conception to death and grieving; social issues such as population control, work and family, and environmental ethics; and theological issues such as the use of goddess images in Buddhism, and several fascinating practices from Gross's own Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist tradition.

Soaring and Settling: Buddhist Perspectives on Contemporary Social and Religious Issues

Continuum

"At its heart," Frederick Buechner once wrote, "most theology, like most fiction, is essentially autobiography." That is true of this book in a very explicit way. Rita Gross and Rosemary Radford Ruether have long been known for their feminist contributions to Buddhism and Christianity, respectively. In this book, they talk candidly about what their respective traditions mean to them in both their liberating as well as problematic aspects. Throughout the book, their lifestories provide the rich soil, perhaps even the rationale, for their theological and spiritual development. Born in a nonvirtual log cabin to a struggling Christian fundamentalist farm family, Rita was excommunicated by her church at an early age. She eventually made a long journey to Buddhism after a detour through Judaism. Rosemary was born in comfortable circumstance and raised an "enlightened" Roman Catholic in a family that had Jewish and Protestant connections. She would always rather fight (for enlightened Catholicism) than switch. Despite the marked differences in their life histories and their respective religious faiths, Rita and Rosemary achieve surprising unanimity on the paramount issue: what engaged Buddhism and what enlightened Christianity can offer in the struggle to create a new future for planet earth.

Religious Feminism and the Future of the Planet: A Buddhist-Christian Conversation

RUETHER, ROSEMARY RADFORD

Bloomsbury Academic

&quot;At its heart,&quot; Frederick Buechner once wrote, &quot;most theology, like most fiction, is essentially autobiography.&quot; That is true of this book in a very explicit way. Rita Gross and Rosemary Radford Ruether have long been known for their feminist contributions to Buddhism and Christianity, respectively. In this book, they talk candidly about what their respective traditions mean to them in both their liberating as well as problematic aspects. Throughout the book, their lifestories provide the rich soil, perhaps even the rationale, for their theological and spiritual development. Born in a nonvirtual log cabin to a struggling Christian fundamentalist farm family, Rita was excommunicated by her church at an early age. She eventually made a long journey to Buddhism after a detour through Judaism. Rosemary was born in comfortable circumstance and raised an &quot;enlightened&quot; Roman Catholic in a family that had Jewish and Protestant connections. She would always rather fight (for enlightened Catholicism) than switch. Despite the marked differences in their life histories and their respective religious faiths, Rita and Rosemary achieve surprising unanimity on the paramount issue: what engaged Buddhism and what enlightened Christianity can offer in the struggle to create a new future for planet earth.

Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts

Continuum Intl Pub Group

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Gross, Rita M.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Gross, Rita M.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Gross, Rita M.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

A Garland of Feminist Reflections: Forty Years of Religious Exploration

Unspoken Worlds: Women’s Religious Lives

Unspoken Worlds: Women's Religious Lives

Buddhism After Patriarchy: A Feminist History, Analysis, and Reconstruction of Buddhism

Buddhism After Patriarchy: A Feminist History, Analysis, and Reconstruction of Buddhism

Feminism and Religion: An Introduction

Feminism and Religion

Soaring and Settling: Buddhist Perspectives on Contemporary Social and Religious Issues

Religious Feminism and the Future of the Planet: A Buddhist-Christian Conversation

Religious Feminism and the Future of the Planet: A Buddhist-Christian Conversation