Why do present day women take an interest in a “middle age” religion? Buddhism like Christianity was founded by a male teacher and was organised, transmitted and interpreted by men. This book is “a protocol of an encounter”. A contemporary woman has read the teachings of the Buddha “against the grain” and has found some first answers and many more questions. In order for a religion to stay “alive” it has to be rediscovered by every generation anew. Just to follow tradition is not enough. Whenever women take interest in a traditional religion – be it Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism or Islam – they are given a double task: We are looking for a contemporary expression of an old teaching. Many contemporary male Buddhists from the West and some from Asia are working on this task. Women have to read patriarchal teachings critically “with the eyes of a woman”. The Heart of the Lotus presents central teachings of Buddhism and describes traps we fall into, if we don not consider our cultural background and our biological sex and social gender. It takes up typical questions women are asking and presents first results: concepts and exercices which can support contemporary women (and men) on their path to inner and outer freedom.