ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussedin the preceding chapters of this book. Each of the chapters deals with little-explored dimensions of the lives of the Buddhist women. The religious training imparted to women was limited to learning and transmission of scriptures orally, and the task of documenting and writing of the sutras continued to be a male monastic privilege. In the social sphere again, women exercised considerable discretion, to the extent of even opting for alternate lifestyles and vocations. The literary as well as epigraphic records attest to the presence of some lay nuns or laywomen who although unordained retired to spend their remaining lifetime in the sanctuary of the Samgha. Low incidence of literary works authored by women can also be traced to the limited avenues for women to pursue formal education, which to a large extent hindered the historical documentation of compositions of women authors.
