Much of Traditional Zen or Buddhism focuses on transcendence of our selves , our egos and personal narratives into a state of pristine non duality. This includes transcendence of concepts such as gender.
A Buddhist informed study of womanhood, however, is inherently embodied. It has to do with our experience as beings that exist in women’s Bodies with the minds and hearts of women but in a way that is informed by this transcendence
Each of us grew up in a society that conditioned us to behave in certain ways believe certain things about ourselves related to our gender but because of our study of zen and Buddhism , we can see that these beliefs are fundamentally empty.
And not only are these beliefs fundamentally empty , but they also lead to tremendous amounts of unnecessary suffering. There is no need to wax poetic about how the Personal and collective beliefs about gender have led to untold levels of violence against women and the commonly accepted reality of women having less social rights than men .
Furthermore, it’s important to acknowledge that these beliefs are often deeply held by men and women both. . Many women hold self limiting beliefs or even hold back other women with our subconscious engrained attitudes and beliefs towards gender
Therefore , as part of our pursuit of a More compassionate and enlightened world for people of any gender , we seek to begin by freeing ourselves of our empty beliefs about what it means to experience and act as beings living in a female bodies.
In this WISH series, we will experientially explore Kasia Urbaniak’s book, Unbound. This text offers discrete, specific skillful means processes for women to decondition their subconscious, gender based conditioning in order to act wisely and compassionately for the benefit of all.
Each month, we will explore a new chapter of Urbaniak’s book and the practical exercises she provides.