Rita Gross

Rita M. Gross ( born 1943 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin) is an American Buddhist religious scholar, and advocate of feminist and religionspluralistischer approaches. As a practicing Buddhist for many years she represents as a Buddhist teacher ( acharya ) a traditionspluralistischen and non-sectarian approach ( Rime ). Rita Gross was appointed in 2005 by Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche to Lopön to teach the doctrine of the Buddha in the Tibetan Shambhala tradition. Your concern is an integration of classical Buddhist and enlightened scientific methods. She enjoys worldwide recognition as a pioneer of gender studies in the religions. Her principal work "Buddhism after Patriarchy " is considered a wake-up call for a critical examination of the historical development of gender roles in Buddhism.

Life

Gross was born as the only daughter of a farmer's family in the northwestern Wisconsin and studied at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee and the University of Chicago, where she also 1975 her dissertation on the topic of " Exclusion and Participation: The Role of Women in Aboriginal Australian Religions " graduated.

Gross, who was born into a Protestant family, had been excommunicated because of her interest in other religions at the age of 21 years of the Church ( Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod ). After a decade of an affinity with Judaism, while in Chicago was also a member of synagogues in the years and has written several articles on Jewish feminist theology, to large felt by Buddhism, mainly attracted by the Vajrayana. Especially after she moved to Eau Claire in 1973 and the death of her partner began with an intensive examination and finally in 1977 the conversion to Buddhism.

Until her retirement in 1998, Gross worked as a professor of comparative religion at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire. Since then, she travels extensively, giving lectures, workshops and lectures at universities and Buddhist institutes, and is highly valued as a participant in interfaith events. Gross was for many years co-editor of the Journal of Buddhist - Christian Studies and is a key member of the prestigious " Society for Buddhist - Christian Studies ".