The Tibetan female master Kuntu Sangmo (1464–1549) is virtually unknown in both Western and Tibetan scholarship. Her “songs of realization” are included in an extensive manuscript biography that was recently discovered in Tibet. Compiled by a male disciple of Kuntu Sangmo in 1551, the text shows that a female could obtain remarkable success and high status in Tibetan Buddhism during this understudied historical period. Taking the religious poetry of this exceptional woman as its point of departure, this project will investigate Tibetan religious culture and history from the perspective of a female practitioner. Through a comparison of Kuntu Sangmo’s songs with the songs of her male companion, Tsangnyön Heruka, her importance for the specific Buddhist tradition that arose around Tsangnyön will be explored. By translating, presenting, analyzing, and contextualizing her songs, this project will not only discern how gender differences were manifested during this period of Tibetan history, but also will investigate the specific religious roles that were available for a female practitioner in 16th century Tibet. The project will contribute significant basic research and provide us with important insights into the role of women in Buddhism in general and in Tibetan Buddhism in particular. The project will be interdisciplinary, combining philological rigor with insights into broader theoretical issues within the study of religion, literary studies, and gender studies.