Cultivating the Body and/or Mind: Taiwan Can Share an Interfaith Practice

Taiwan, a small island in East Asia of the Pacific Ocean, is the place of so-called fulfillment of religious miracles, where Chinese religions (including Taoism, Buddhism, folk religion) and world’s religions (like Christianity, Islam) peacefully coexist to co-construct the phenomenon of Taiwan’s religion. Three Taiwanese scholars share their unique interfaith women’s experience. The first presenter narrates how female pilgrims cultivate their body-mind by integrating traditional Chinese religious practices and combining with Jerzy Grotowski’s Western drama theory. The second approach draws upon passages from Buddhist scriptures that discard gender discrimination and inspire gender equality. The third sharer (a Muslim and the first woman international baseball umpire from Taiwan) speaks out about her personal practice and how she has inspired many girls to believe that women can be empowered through sports.