High Asia Book Club
Women and Wit in Tibetan Buddhist Literature
Sarah H.Jacoby
Book Discussion on March 27 2026
Location: Ngatso Cafe - 39-08 63rd St, Woodside, NY 11377
Abstract
This essay explores the vibrancy of Tibetan women’s writing and publishing, centering on the woman who is likely the most prolific female writer in Tibetan history. Sera Khandro Dewai Dorje (1892- 1940). Sera Khandro’s work preserve sound bites of a distinctive Tibetan cultural and religious early- twentieth-century world, which we can hear through listening to some key passages from her autobiography (ca.1934), in which she silences her interlocutors with her wit. Sera Khandro’s verbal prowess not only demonstrates her spiritual insight and eloquence, but also sheds nuanced light on issues relating to female agency, misogyny, and sexual violence. In so doing, her writing blurs rigid boundaries between traditional and modern genres of Tibetan Literature, demonstrating the secular and religious concerns that tie twentieth-century Tibetan writing together.
About the Author
Sarah Jacoby is a scholar of Asian Religions specializing in Tibetan Buddhism and serves as a faculty member at Northwestern University. Her academic background includes a B.A. from Yale University and both an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.
Research and Publications
Her research focuses on gender and sexuality, Tibetan literature, and Buddhist revelation in both historical and contemporary contexts. Notable publications include:
Love and Liberation: Autobiographical Writings of the Tibetan Buddhist Visionary Sera Khandro (2014): This award-winning monograph is the first study of the writings of Sera Khandro (1892–1940), one of the most prolific female authors in Tibetan history.
Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience (2014): A co-authored introductory text.
Buddhism Beyond the Monastery (2009): A co-edited volume on Tantric practices.
Read the Article here:
https://journaloftibetanliterature.org/index.php/jtl/article/view/52
This essay was first presented as the 7th Annual Aris lecture on Dec.1, 2022, at Wolfson College, Oxford University, England.