Welcome!

Thanks for visiting Dharma Women! This site has been developed to provide information and resources about the Fourth Annual Buddhist Women's Conference in Chicago, Illinois on March 14, 2009. The conference is sponsored by The Buddhist Council of the Midwest.

The conference day offers a multifaceted program - including education, reflection and celebration - providing opportunities for both ordinary and ordained women from all Buddhist traditions to deepen their life in the Dharma.

NOTE: This site currently contains preliminary information on the 2009 Buddhist Womens Conference. The date, location and lodging information are firm, but a final program is in development.

We expect to have the Conference Brochure, fill-in registration forms for mailing, online registration, final workshops and schedule and other features completed by mid to late January. Please check back occasionally to see how we're doing; thanks for your patience!

Scholarship

We endeavor to support and further develop a non-andocentric discipline of Buddhist scholarship that includes the history of women in Buddhism and inquires into the causes and conditions that shaped the historical roles of Buddhist women and the patriarchal cultural legacies that are still affect women in Buddhism today.

Spirituality

The Plenary Panel will feature leading women practitioners or teachers from three different Buddhist traditions giving their insight on women's spiritual life and their Dharma journeys in the 21st century, and to reflect on current challenges and opportunities women face as Buddhist practitioners.

Savvy

A wide array of breakout sessions and workshops will range from the scholarly, to the practical, to just plain fun. Topics will be of particular interest to Buddhist women, offered by local facilitators and aimed at helping women live fuller lives in the Dharma.

Plenary Panel

Plenary Panel is made up of healing professionals representing each of the three traditions of Buddhism will share their experience and insight gained from their Buddhist practice and professional life as health care providers and teachers, including the latest psychological research into mind and meditation, dharma and recovery from disaster trauma ( Sri Lanka ), and the mind body connection.

Theravada

Venerable Gunasari, Bhikkhuni: Upon her retirement as a physician in California , Dr. Khin Swe Win, M.D., elected to become a Buddhist nun and was fully ordained with the name of Gunasari, an unprecedented event in the Burmese tradition. She will share some of insights gained from her long practice as a physician and study of the Pali Cannon.

Mahayana

Sensei Joan Hoeberichts is a Zen Teacher in the lineage of the White Plum Asangha, founded by Maezumi Roshi. She leads the Heart Circle Sangha in Ridgewood , NJ (www.heartcirclesangha.org). She has a private psychotherapy practice working with families, couples, and individuals. Rev. Hoeberichts initiated Heart Circle Sangha's involvement in the Psycho-Spiritual Healing Project, a joint project of US therapist and Sarvodaya, the largest non-governmental organization in Sri Lanka , to provide psychological support to survivors of the 2004 tsunami Sri Lanka.

Vajrayana

Marcia Grabowecky Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology at Northwestern University and an affiliate of the Mind Life Institute, and is an author of over 20 scientific research articles. The MLSRI is designed to advance the training of scientists, clinicians, and contemplative scholars and practitioners who are exploring how contemplative practices affect mind, behavior, and brain function, and the treatment of disease. She also serves as a member of the development board of the TIBETcenter, Chicago.

Featured Keynote:

Buddhist Insights into Women's Ways of Healing

Sensei Ellen Birx, Ph. D., R.N. is a Professor of Nursing at Radford University and the author of Healing Zen: Buddhist Wisdom on Compassion, Caring and Caregiving - for Yourself and Others and numerous articles in professional journals. She is on the editorial board of the Journal of Holistic Nursing.

Sensei Birx began practicing Zen meditation in 1974, and in 1998 received dharma transmission from Roshi Robert Jinsen Kennedy of the White Plum lineage. She is a member of the American Zen Teachers Association, Zen Peacemaker Community, and the White Plum Asanga. She is a co-founder of the New River Zen Community, and frequently speak at Zen retreats, conferences, and at community organizations across the country.

Workshops:

Facilitated by Buddhist Practitioners and Professionals
The eclectic array of breakout sessions range from scholarly to practical and appeal to the many interests of Buddhist women. The breakout sessions, offered by professionals and practitioner facilitators, explore the many aspects of women's lives in the Dharma - helping them to grow and heal body, mind, and spirit.

Chan Meditation

Ven. Chang Hwa Fa Shi

The 4 Immeasurable Minds, Guided Imagery

Dr. Martha Howard, MD

12 Healing Arts

Su Sheng Huang

Engaged Buddhism at the End of Life

Rev. Tricia Teater

Healing Practices in the Interfaith Community

Asayo Horibe RN

Report on Sakyadhita Conference

Ven. Pannavati Bhikkhuni, PhD

Buddhism and the 12 Steps of Recovery from Addictions

Anonymous

A Garland of Reflections on Healing Dharma

Lopon Rita Gross, PhD

Full Bhikkhuni Ordination and its Healing Effect

Ven. Ayya Gunasari, Bhikkhuni, MD

Stress and Mindfulness for the Terminally Busy

Marcia Grabowecky, Ph.D.

Engaged Buddhism Beyond Our Shores

Joan Hoeberichts Sensei, MSW

The Healing Power of Zen Koans

Ellen Birx Sensei, PhD, RN

Whole Brain Integration and the Alleviation of Suffering

Lucinda Green, PhD

Introduction to Buddhism from the 3 Traditions

Ven.Pannavati Bhikkhuni, PhD; Iris Wang, MFA; and Lopon Rita Gross, PhD