introduction

This is blog about birth, buddhism, and biomedicine. I'm a literary mama interested in birthing from a Buddhist perspective. My first book, Being a Buddhist Nun, covered the life of Buddhist nuns, while this book is about Buddhist Moms. I will be researching Buddhist birthing practices in the Himalayas for the next year, with toddler twins in tow. It am interested in how Buddhism and biomedicine shape birthing practices in teh Zangskar region of the Indian Himalayas as birth moves from the home into the hospital. The blog will cover Buddhist and biomedical perspectives on birthing in Zangskar. I will write about women who gave birth at home and those who do so in the hospital, as well as the doctors and midwives who attend these births. What are the main concerns these women have and where do they agree or disagree? I hope to look at birth from a number of perspectives, so that a single narrative, Rashomon-like, fragments into many stories, each equally valuable.