Vanessa R. Sasson, author of 'The Gathering', discusses the resilience and relevance of Buddhist women, motivations for writing fiction, and the role of mythology in the Buddhist world. The podcast explores the formation of the women's community, the power of women imagining a different future, challenging expectations and exploring renunciation, the impact of renunciation on relationships, the speaker's transition from academia to fiction writing, engaging with education and responsibility, and the role of the fabulous in Buddhism.