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Acknowledgments In Chinese, a mentor or a friend who provides help at crucial points of one’s life is called guiren (or kuei-jen in Wade-Giles), often rendered “helpful friend.” I am extremely fortunate to have encountered an unusual number of guiren-s in my life. To say the least, I have yet to meet another person who would say she or he had four advisors in graduate school and all four had read multiple revisions of every chapter in her or his dissertation. Dr. John C. Raines was officially the chair of my doctoral advisory committee, and I can never thank him enough for all the guidance he has provided me over the years. I have been moved by, and benefited from, his commitment to social justice and his care for underprivileged students. I am equally indebted to Dr. Rita M. Gross, who took a chance on me and agreed to sit on my committee before she even met me. Her works have influenced numerous feminist Buddhists around the world, and she has certainly inspired me in many regards. It was an honor to be her student. Dr. Rebecca T. Alpert is in every way my role model. I wish one day I could approximate her wisdom and strength in tackling all the difficulties in life, and I wish I will have the same kind of humor and patience as she does. Dr. Laura S. Levitt’s energy and passion have always amazed me. She has read more revisions of all of my chapters than anyone else, with unparalleled enthusiasm. More than once she pointed out the potentials of my work that I myself did not see. These four mentors critiqued my work from four very different angles, which made my dissertation, the former version of this book, much broader and richer. I am extremely thankful for the friends I encountered in recent years who have helped me in my professional and personal life. Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo is loving-kindness embodied. Her presence is always assuring and her words are always wise and affirming. She is also a superhuman in terms of the various services ix x Acknowledgments she has provided to humanity in general and Asian Buddhist women in particular. Dr. Carol Winkelmann “adopted” me as a sister because I have no family in the U.S., and so for the first time I actually feel that I have a “home” here. I still cannot believe how quickly our friendship developed. The friends I met through Sakyadhita have enriched my world tremendously and prompted me to integrate more fully my theory with my practice: Dr. Christie Chang, Dr. Yuchen Li, Dr. Susanne Mrozik, Dr. Elise A. DeVido, Charlotte B. Collins, Roseanne Freese, etc. Dr. David R. Loy is a knowledgeable and fun friend whose works have influenced my own thinking. Dr. Douglas L. Berger has always been generous in sharing with me his insights and experiences. Jamie Dylenski was kind enough to read through my manuscript and offer her feedbacks. Dr. Gloria H. Albrecht, Dr. Audrey Brosnan, and Pamela A. Wilkins have provided me with a sense of stability. Dr. James B. Tubbs is the best department chair one could have. Friends at the Lansing Buddhist Association and Muddy Water Zen have provided me with places for practice and made me feel at home. I am especially grateful for Dr. Lina Wu, Dr. Chungwen Chen, Anna Fisher, Hae Doh Sunim, and Dr. George Sanders. I thank Nancy Ellegate and Diane Ganeles, editors at the State University of New York Press, for their kind assistance. Elise Brauckmann ’s cover designs were thoughtful and beautiful, and I am grateful that she worked patiently with me and responded to my multiple requests for change. I also want to thank copyeditor Sharon Green of Panache Editorial, Inc., and typesetter Sue Morreale of Partners Composition for their meticulous and expedient work. My father had a paralyzing stroke in August of 2005 and passed away in May of 2006. When I was young, neither he nor my mother really thought that a girl’s place could be in the academia, and yet it was them who equipped me with the aptitude and discipline that I would need for advanced studies. I am grateful that their belief in education outweighed all other presumptions and concerns. It could not be not easy for them to deal with the fact that I did not fit into either of their preconceived...

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