In search of Buddha's daughters: a modern journey down ancient roads

"Seamlessly narrated, this book reveals the varied paths available to women seeking to dedicate their lives to Buddhist practice" ( Buddhadharma ). They come to the monastic Buddhist life from every faith and career: a policewoman, a princess, a Bollywood star, a violinist. Out of the public eye, despite hardship and even persecution, they vow to seek enlightenment in a world full of noise. Who are these women? What motivates them, and what stands in their way? Award-winning journalist Christine Toomey "travels around the world staying with nuns from Burma to California, drawing the reader inside their unexpectedly fascinating lives" (Mara Hvistendahl, The Wall Street Journal ). She encounters unforgettable nuns who reveal the blessings—and perils—of carrying a twenty-year tradition into the twenty-first century. Often denied equal status with monks, they are nonetheless devoted—to their faith, and to change. "[An] ambitious and thoughtful book... Toomey paints vivid portraits of women who are emboldened in the face of gender discrimination." — Tricycle "Openness may explain why In Search of Buddha's Daughters is so much more than a sum of its parts. With a rich and compelling narrative voice, it is a text with the power to inspire a new perspective on how to live, how to view those around us, and how to find deep and lasting happiness in what we already possess." — Financial Times