Please reflect on the status of women in Tibetan Buddhism, as discussed by Kim Gutschow in “Being a Buddhist Nun: The Struggle for Enlightenment”. Questions for discussion might include the following: What is the status of women in the traditional Tibetan communities of Zangskar? What motivates some of these women to become nuns? In what way is becoming a nun potentially empowering for the women of this community? Do the nuns escape some of the limitations placed upon women? Do Buddhist institutions contribute to the reproduction of male dominance within the religious communities? If so, how? How do the nuns resist this dominance? (Gutschow)
