Rev. Danny Fisher

Today’s quote is from Lopon Rita M. Gross, the great scholar-practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism and author of (among other books) Buddhism After Patriarchy: A Feminist History, Analysis, and Reconstruction of Buddhism.  This is it, from her article “Buddhist History for Buddhist Practitioners” in the brand new issue of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review:

Rather than being something that detracts from our commitment to Buddhadharma, to some almost a heresy, an accurate, nonsectarian history of Buddhism can enrich and improve one’s dharma practice immensely. This alone is a sufficient recommendation for such study. But the study of Buddhist history brings other benefits as well, such as providing tools to appreciate Buddhist internal diversity and thus promote greater communication within the greater Buddhist community. Perhaps most important, it allows us to develop a seamless account of Buddhism and modernity. For nothing is sadder than a religion’s demand that we turn off our critical intelligence when its traditions conflict with well-established results of modern science and history. The depth of Buddhadharma does not need such mindless acquiescence to convention.