Lives of the Nuns: Biographies of Chinese Buddhist Nuns from the Fourth to Sixth Centuries : A Translation of the Pi-Ch'Iu-Ni Chuan

Rating:
Summary: An interesting glimpse into an underdescribed time and place
Review: Tsai's Lives of the Nuns gives a rare opprotunity to look into the lives of Chinese nuns living approximately 1500 years ago. In addition to the translation of the biographies, there is a brief, but worthwhile introduction which provides a useful context for understanding the biographies which follow. This is not a book for people who want to learn more general information about women in Buddhism (Diana Paul's Women in Buddhism would be more appropriate for an historical angle and the books presenting contemporary perspectives are many and varied), but for those with the very specific interest in historical Chinese Buddhist nuns, this is a worthwhile read.