Women in Buddhism

In this course, Catherine Pawasarat Sensei generously offers illuminating lectures on a variety of subjects on women in buddhism. The subjects range from the hidden influence of ancient Tibetan female teachers to the present day challenges and blessings of being a spiritual practitioner in the modern world. Catherine Sensei has lived in various cultures including the US,  Japan, Brazil and Canada. She brings her cross-cultural wisdom to shed light on beliefs that we might otherwise overlook. She guides us to explore how our own family and cultural upbringing shapes (and limits) our views, and how we might broaden them to be more inclusive of others. She speaks candidly about her personal transformations as a female practitioner as well as her 20 year relationship with her spiritual teacher, Qapel. She also offers insights from her experience on becoming a teacher and co-founder of the Clear Sky Meditation Center in British Columbia, Canada. 

Some of the topics that weave in and out of her lectures are:

*Male and female energies and how to use them in your practice.

*Transgender deities in Buddhism

*Spiritual awakening in a female body.

*Cultural conditioning regarding women's roles, and how they look different in different cultures.

Sensei helps us to investigate our own cultural conditioning that influences our thinking/actions by drawing on her own experience. She invites us to incorporate these issues into our spiritual practice. Along the way we might notice fixed views we have been holding that no longer serve us, resulting in greater liberation, and therefore greater compassion for ourselves and all beings.