A study of the ways in which Eastern wisdom traditions can affect our lives. The author first considers the methodological issues related to being a feminist Buddhist in North America, she then focuses on lifestyle issues, and concludes with theological questions which arise within the faith.

Continuum congratulates Rita M. Gross on being the recipient of the 1999 Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award.As a practicing Buddhist for over 20 years, Rita Gross is concerned with how Eastern wisdom traditions transform our lives, and are themselves transformed by contact with the wisdom of the West.Rita Gross considers "lifestyle" issues, from conception to death and grieving; social issues such as population control, work and family, and environmental ethics; and theological issues such as the use of goddess images in Buddhism, and several fascinating practices from Gross's own Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist tradition.

"Rita Gross must be commended for her 'soaring' and dynamic presentation of the continuing impact of Buddhist tradition on contemporary America. This book is a valuable study for those interested in gender studies and the modern interaction between Indic religions and indigenous American culture." --James Kenneth Powell II, International Journal of Hindu Studies, 1999