This piece analyzes factors that have contributed to the problem of sexual abuse in Vajrayāna contexts, including the doctrinal injunction to maintain pure perception, which can be used to silence critical judgment, and the hierarchical nature of Vajrayāna guru-disciple relationships. Written from the insider perspective of two Vajrayāna Buddhist nuns, this essay names the harm of sexual abuse while also acknowledging the tension many survivors of sexual abuse in Buddhist communities feel between loyalty to their spiritual community and their own quest for personal justice. At the same time as this piece addresses the problem of sexual abuse clearly, bolstered by ample evidence of such abuse in Malaysia and Bhutan, the authors suggest resources within Vajrayāna Buddhism that can break the silence around this issue. Ultimately, the piece argues that the Buddhist injunction to pursue non-harm and respect for all beings can be marshalled to build a brighter future for all beings.
A key moment in the Heartwood/Northwestern Symposium was the "Survivors' Roundtable," in which five survivors of power abuse and/or sexual misconduct in Buddhism shared their testimony and analysis. Their discussion is structured around six questions, summarized as follows: How do you describe your own experiences? How have others responded to your experiences? How do power dynamics between teachers and students shape the experiences of harm in Buddhist communities? How have your Buddhist practices changed? What are the lasting impacts of the harm you experienced? Who is responsible for improving the safety of Buddhist communities?
In conversation with survivor-centered discussions of sexual violence in Western Buddhist contexts, this piece examines the story of queen Tsepongza and her encounter with Vairocana to highlight the tension between key Tibetan historical narratives that construct women as demonesses in misogynist terms and the work of contemporary Tibetan female writers such as Jamyang Kyi that challenge such narratives and reclaim demonized Tibetan historical women as symbols of Tibetan resistance and survivance. While rejecting the logics of misogyny by centering Tibetan women's voices, this analysis cautions against interpreting stories of sexual violence in a vacuum, reflecting instead on the ways in which such narratives may be inevitably shaped by and reinforce specific historical and contemporary structures of power.
its networks and practices adapted to the challenges of the COVID‑19 pandemic. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, it explores how the organisation's activities, rooted in Jōdō Shū teachings and informed by the ethos of "being with" and shien 支縁 (reciprocal support grounded in karmic bonds), combined material assistance with the cultivation of affective and relational ties. Pre‑existing micro‑ and macro‑level networks enabled a rapid response to emerging needs, yet the pandemic also exposed the vulnerabilities of volunteer‑driven initiatives. Long‑standing activities were suspended, and some volunteers, particularly Vietnamese workers and students stranded in Japan, became recipients of support. The article argues that Hitosaji no Kai illustrates both the possibilities and limitations of small‑scale, relational forms of Buddhist social engagement, highlighting how practices of presence, interdependence, and collaboration sustained community connections in a time of crisis.
