Women in Chinese Buddhism: Rights, Spirituality and the Path to Freedom (Routledge Studies in Religion)

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. Jessica Tilton’s interest in China was spurred by her father’s service with the Flying Tigers in Kunming during World War II (14th US Army Air Force). This led her to study International Relations at Johns Hopkins University where she focused on Mandarin Chinese. In 1985, Jessica went with the University of Minnesota on a summer program to study at Nankai University in Tianjin and Qingdao’s Naval Academy. At the end of the program, she remained at Nankai to further study Mandarin for her “junior year abroad.” Upon graduating in 1987, Jessica accepted a position with the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Kaohsiung Branch (a non-profit organisation established by the US Department of State to promote cultural and economic relations). Just days after arriving in Taiwan, Chiang Ching-kuo lifted martial law allowing free elections in the flourishing economic Asian Tiger; in effect, a new democracy was born, and she had a front row seat. Having just studied in Mainland China, she witnessed the stark contrast between the two societies, especially with respect to cultural beliefs and customs as well as women’s rights. Buddhist traditions played an integral role in day-to-day life in Kaohsiung, and women held senior positions in medicine, law, academia, industry and government. After three decades of personal reflection in the Asian financial markets, Jessica refocused her attention on her core values and enrolled in the University of Hong Kong’s Centre for Buddhist Studies as a part-time graduate student. The discovery that fully-ordained Chinese nuns could track their lineage back to the time of the Buddha and Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī, intrigued her. How had they maintained their status when nuns in other Buddhist countries lost theirs, and what happened to nuns during the Mao years? These questions sparked a desire to find the answers, and hence the PhD at the University of Tasmania (UTAS), under the guidance of Dr. Sonam Thakchoe. Following the completion of her doctorate, Jessica continues to research the role of women in Chinese Buddhism as well as lecture on Bioethics to first year and second year nursing students at UTAS. In addition, she is developing a historical fiction account of Jiang Qing, her early membership in the communist party, her stage and film career, the Gang of Four and her fall from grace as a scapegoat for Mao’s abuses during the Cultural Revolution. Read more about this author Read less about this author Read more about this author Read less about this author