Ways of Wisdom
Study Circle
Fall 2021
We are exploring what we have received from our family ancestry—the gifts and challenges, resilience and strengths.
How we began
In the fall of 2017 and 2018, 15–20 people came together biweekly to explore the life stories and teachings of Buddhist women practitioners. Originally the Women of Wisdom (WoW) study group, we later changed our name to emphasize that a "feminine" way of knowing and being isn't confined to one gender. In fact, how we define the feminine is a work-in-progress, drawing from traditional teachings, what we are observing in women teachers and our own experience, and what we are uncovering as we peel back the historical overlays of patriarchal cultures, including our own.
Guidelines for our meetings
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Sangha without borders: all backgrounds and affiliations welcome
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We are holding an awake space for ourselves and each other, with a shared allegiance is to presence, curiosity and compassion.
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Confidentiality: sharing our own stories, not those of others, both inside and outside the group
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Grounded in personal experience and mindful speech, avoiding Buddhist jargon
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We each take responsibility for ourselves, going as far and revealing as much as is comfortable. Because there is always trauma in the room (personal, ancestral, societal), people may still sometimes get triggered. The host's and group's job is to hold and witness with compassion, not to fix, steer or advise.
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Passing in the circle or leaving the room is also always an option—no judgement.
Previous sessions
Spring and fall 2020 (online)
Fall 2017
