Mugai Nyodai Explained

Mugai Nyodai (Japanese: 無外如大, 1223–1298), was one of the first Zen abbesses and the first female Zen master in Japan. A disciple of Mugaku Sogen, she organized convents and spread the lessons of Rinzai Zen.^{[1] [2] [3]} The only surviving written accounts of her life date to more recent centuries, and so many details of her biography are unclear.^[4]

Further reading

• Tisdale, Sallie. Women of the Way: Discovering 2,500 Years of Buddhist Wisdom, HarperOne, 2006.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Mugai Nyodai, Zishou Miaozong 資壽妙總; 1095–1170. First Woman to Head a Zen Order – Buddhism . Bellaonline.com . 11 November 2011.
2. Web site: Japanese Zen Master Honored by Her Followers . . 22 November 1998 . 11 November 2011.
3. Book: Deal, William E. . Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan . . 2007 . 9780195331264.
4. Encyclopedia: Fister . Patricia . Women, Rites, and Ritual Objects in Premodern Japan . Commemorating Life and Death: The Memorial Culture Surrounding the Rinzai Zen Nun Mugai Nyodai . 5 July 2018 . Brill . 9789004368194 .