The spiritual power of women in dharma
I've had some thoughts about my Buddhist practice percolating in my mind recently. To express them without first explaining what my practice is would be foolhardy; yet finding the time to sit down and write about my faith and my journey toward it has been incredibly difficult! (Especially when considering I've now identified as some form of Buddhist for 10+ years!)
In the meantime, I do want to share one reflection: I have realized that I am more often than not drawn to female teachers and icons. In my own life, the people most influential to me outside of my own family were all women; within Buddhism, some of the most influential dharma teachers I follow are women, in particular Ven. Robina Courtin, whose dharma talk, Let's Get Real, is probably my first recommendation for anyone interested in learning about what Mahayana Buddhism really is on a psychological level.
My main practice is Pure Land Buddhism, which is centered on a male Buddha named Amitabha; the school I follow, Jodo-Shu was dictated by a male Japanese monk named Honen some 800 years ago. But in between my Pure Land studies I gained an affinity for other Mahayana teachings through Ven. Robina et al., which manifested in a practice dedicated to Tara. She's known as a very active, competent, courageous, energetic entity. She is a savior, protector, and destroyer of fear who vowed to always reincarnate as a woman. She also bears close connections to Amitabha.
Another deity associated with Amitabha is Avalokiteśvara, better known by his East Asian, female iteration: Guan Yin. She makes up one third of the Pure Land trio with herself and Mahāsthāmaprāpta as Amitabha Buddha's attendants.
I felt inspired to make this post after watching this video from Sravasti Abbey, an American monastery/abbey lead by the nun Ven. Thubten Chodron.