For over 2,500 years, Buddhist women have walked the path of practice—teaching, debating, and transmitting the Dharma despite resistance and obscurity. Their stories are not just history; they are a living thread that continues to shape our understanding of awakening today.
This on-demand course, recorded at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, is both a historical and deeply personal exploration of Buddhist women’s lives.
With decades of Zen practice and teaching experience, Kathie and Zoketsu Norman Fischer illuminate how these women shaped the Dharma—offering not only scholarship but lived experience, inquiry, and heartfelt engagement with their teachings.
Soto Zen teacher Sokaku Kathie Fischer has spent much of her life studying, practicing, and sharing the stories of these remarkable women. A single poem by the early Buddhist nun Bhadda Kundalakesa ignited in her a deep commitment to uncovering their legacies:
"Here at the end, part of me still wants to go back and kiss every inch of every road I ever walked. But it’s enough just to say thank you—and goodbye."
A Journey Across Time and Tradition
Through six in-depth sessions, you will meet Buddhist women whose courage and insight reshaped Buddhism, from the earliest Therīgāthā poets to contemporary Zen masters. Their wisdom is not locked in the past—it continues to guide and challenge us today.
Indian Teachers
Meet the early Buddhist women who defied social expectations to become teachers, poets, and enlightened practitioners.
Early Chinese Teachers
Enter the world of early Chinese Buddhist women, where practice often meant renouncing societal roles.
Later Chinese Teachers
Learn about Ling Zhao, whose profound teaching unfolded through spontaneous action, and the sharp-witted teacher Iron Grindstone Liu.
Korean and Japanese Teachers
Meet Kim Iryeop, a modern Korean Zen nun who never stopped writing, and Shōtaku, an abbess who fended off an attacker with a piece of paper. Stories that reveal quiet strength and revolutionary insight.
Modern and Contemporary Teachers
Learn about Caroline Rhys Davids, whose Buddhist translations shaped Western understanding, and Maurine Stuart, a pioneering Zen teacher who embodied wisdom in action.
Ayya Khema and Blanche Hartman
Explore modern trailblazers: Ayya Khema, who reestablished full ordination for Buddhist women, and Blanche Hartman, the first female abbess of San Francisco Zen Center.
The Transmission of Women’s Dharma Lineages
Women’s ordinations have long been a vital but challenged tradition in Buddhist history. From Mahāpajāpatī’s insistence on the Buddha granting ordination to Bhikkhunis to modern figures like Ayya Khema, who reestablished full ordination, this lineage continues today.
Women as Spiritual and Familial Anchors
Blanche Hartman, the first female abbess of SFZC, exemplified how Buddhist women have long nurtured both spiritual and biological families, much like Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī, the Buddha’s stepmother and the first ordained woman in the Buddhist tradition.
Engaged Buddhism & Activism
From Mahāpajāpatī’s march for women’s ordination to modern Buddhist women standing for justice, engaged practice has always been central to the path of female teachers.
Global Sisterhood in Buddhist Practice
The Sakyadhita Conference continues the tradition of Buddhist women supporting each other, just as early Chinese and Japanese nuns did when forming their communities.
What You’ll Get in This Course
• Lifetime access to six in-depth lectures, available on-demand.
• Rarely told stories of Buddhist women teachers across centuries and traditions.
• A curated resource list of texts and books that shaped Kathie and Norman’s teachings.
• Teachings from two of the foremost Zen teachers in the West, integrating scholarly depth with lived experience.
Start Learning Today
This on-demand course allows you to engage with these teachings at your own pace—returning to the stories and wisdom of Buddhist women whenever you need inspiration and guidance.
Sliding Scale Registration Available
Curriculum
- 2.1 Introduction and Historical Context (8:28)
- 2.2 Chu Ching-chien (Zhu Jingjian 竺淨檢) (17:34)
- 2.3 Fashan 法善 and the Path Beyond Old Age (9:37)
- 2.4 Tanhui 昙慧 - The Vow to Renounce and Transform (13:07)
- 2.5 Reflections and Closing Thoughts (2:07)
- 2.6 Guided Meditation and Contemplation Prompt (15:40)
- 2.7 Questions and Comments (18:04)
- 5.1 Founders and Mediums- Caroline Rhys Davids & I.B. Horner (17:24)
- 5.2 Feminist Lenses and Buddhist Lineage- Open Discussion on Gendered Experience in Zen Practice (33:51)
- 5.3 Revisiting Tokaji- Mirror Zen and Nun Jakuchō Setouchi (13:02)
- 5.4 Subtle Sound- Maureen Stuart and Feminine Intuition in Zen (12:33)
- 5.5 Discussion and Reflections (7:07)
Sokaku Kathie Fischer began practicing Zen in 1971 with Sojun Mel Weitsman at the Berkeley Zen Center. She was ordained a Zen priest at San Francisco Zen Center in 1980 by Zentatsu Richard Baker, and continued residential practice at Zen Center for 15 more years. She received Dharma transmission from Sojun Weitsman in 2011. Since retiring from teaching science to adolescents Kathie has turned her attention to studying and teaching Dharma.
Zoketsu Norman Fischer was ordained by Zentatsu Richard Baker in 1980 and received Dharma transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman in 1988. He practiced at San Francisco Zen Center for 25 years, serving as co-abbot from 1995 to 2000, when he founded the Everyday Zen Foundation, which he continues to lead. An author and poet, a list of Norman's books are available on his bio page at SFZC.org.