Nothing in its essence is one way or the other.
Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.
In order to have compassion for others, we have to have compassion for ourselves.
It isn't the things that happen to us in our lives that cause us to suffer, it's how we relate to the things that happen to us that causes us to suffer.
Sitting meditation gives us a way to move closer to our thoughts and emotions and to get in touch with our bodies.
As Buddhism moved to the West, one of the big characteristics was the strong place of women. That didn't exist in the countries of origin. It's just a sign of our culture.