"The long-overdue corrective of the Andrews scholarship that ignored the importance of Zen nuns .... This very readable book is ideal for use in the classroom." - Review of Religious Studies "The personal account of the sensitive Arai is sometimes emotional, but reflectivity The memories derived from her personal experiences and interactions with the nuns are well-documented and well documented ...

The book is valuable in providing us with a different kind of appreciation in order to understand the position of women Who live in another religious and cultural context. " - The Japanese Journal of Religious Studies "This is an anthropological study carried out with love, care and attention to detail ...

By the end of the journey, readers will find themselves moving, reassuring and reviving their humanity." - Asian Studies Journal In this study, based on historical evidence and ethnographic data, Paula Arai shows that nuns were central to the establishment of Buddhism in Japan in the sixth century. Were active participants in the Soto Zen sect and continued to contribute to the advancement of the sect to this day.

Drawing on her fieldwork among Soto Sisters, Arai explains that the lives of many of these women embody the classic Buddhist ideals. They chose to live strictly disciplined monastic life instead of pursuing jobs or leading a modern, unrestrained secular lifestyle.

In this, and other aspects, they can show that they stand in stark contrast to their counterparts of men.