Matriarchs

And yet, nothing provoked more thought in me during this particular year's retreat than two of the tiniest details that have all but escaped me in the past: an occasional chant we do in which we name the female Buddhist leaders of the past (what we call the "Matriarchs' Lineage") and a throwaway line in one of our daily services in which the Zen student leading the chant dedicates its merits (we're very big on dedicating merits) to "the women and men" at the nearby U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Jennifer Armstrong: Why We Need Female Spiritual Leaders Jennifer Armstrong 2011

And yet, nothing provoked more thought in me during this particular year's retreat than two of the tiniest details that have all but escaped me in the past: an occasional chant we do in which we name the female Buddhist leaders of the past (what we call the "Matriarchs' Lineage") and a throwaway line in one of our daily services in which the Zen student leading the chant dedicates its merits (we're very big on dedicating merits) to "the women and men" at the nearby U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Jennifer Armstrong: Why We Need Female Spiritual Leaders Jennifer Armstrong 2011

And yet, nothing provoked more thought in me during this particular year's retreat than two of the tiniest details that have all but escaped me in the past: an occasional chant we do in which we name the female Buddhist leaders of the past (what we call the "Matriarchs' Lineage") and a throwaway line in one of our daily services in which the Zen student leading the chant dedicates its merits (we're very big on dedicating merits) to "the women and men" at the nearby U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Jennifer Armstrong: Why We Need Female Spiritual Leaders Jennifer Armstrong 2011

And yet, nothing provoked more thought in me during this particular year's retreat than two of the tiniest details that have all but escaped me in the past: an occasional chant we do in which we name the female Buddhist leaders of the past (what we call the "Matriarchs' Lineage") and a throwaway line in one of our daily services in which the Zen student leading the chant dedicates its merits (we're very big on dedicating merits) to "the women and men" at the nearby U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Jennifer Armstrong: Why We Need Female Spiritual Leaders Jennifer Armstrong 2011

Very different in mood is the series of celebratory images collectively entitled Matriarchs which Baum produced in 1995.

Artists: Contemporary Anglo. 2009

The Matriarchs' Lineage was a Village Zendo creation, and took quite a bit of meticulous research to get correct -- but our female leadership knew it was worth the effort.

Jennifer Armstrong: Why We Need Female Spiritual Leaders Jennifer Armstrong 2011

The Matriarchs' Lineage was a Village Zendo creation, and took quite a bit of meticulous research to get correct -- but our female leadership knew it was worth the effort.

Jennifer Armstrong: Why We Need Female Spiritual Leaders Jennifer Armstrong 2011

Matriarchs should know who the is and isn't hostile towards the Latino community.

DeeDee Garcia Blase: Hispanic Matriarch Political Movement Reaction to Herman Cain's Atrocious Anti-Immigrant Remarks DeeDee Garcia Blase 2011

The Matriarchs' Lineage was a Village Zendo creation, and took quite a bit of meticulous research to get correct -- but our female leadership knew it was worth the effort.

Jennifer Armstrong: Why We Need Female Spiritual Leaders Jennifer Armstrong 2011

The Matriarchs' Lineage was a Village Zendo creation, and took quite a bit of meticulous research to get correct -- but our female leadership knew it was worth the effort.

Jennifer Armstrong: Why We Need Female Spiritual Leaders Jennifer Armstrong 2011