Sakyadhita
NewsletterSakyadhita
Newsletter It was a late night during winter, just after the Korean War. Only
the moon was a Dharma friend to the practitioner sitting cross-legged
under a big pine tree, with the appearance of a novice nun. She looked
just like a snowman under the moonlight against the dark mountain. A
novice monk, holding a blanket at his side, called out to her: "Sunim,
Sunim." But there was no reply. Instead, a very soft voice repeated,
"Amitabha Buddha, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva...."
The novice monk approached with great concern. The nun's eyes shone
like stars, reflecting the moonlight. "Sunim, please cover yourself
with this." "What is it?" she asked. "A blanket,"
he replied. "The great master will scold us. Please take it with
you." "But Sunim, you might die of cold," he implored.
"Novice monk, I am doing retreat here. I will live here if I can.
I will die here if I die."
One week passed. The nun survived on the rice balls offered by the village
people. When the rice balls froze, she made them edible by thawing them
in the river. Nobody could begin to match her resolve for enlightenment.
Eventually the great master Song-chol sent a message through a novice
monk: "I will take her as a student if she successfully finishes
100,000 bows to the Buddha image at Songju Temple.” This was a
test to see whether the nun had a strong mind of enlightenment. It was
scarcely imagined that anyone would be able to do it. However, she finished
100,000 bows in a week and returned after accomplishing the task. Defeating
Mara and touching all the Buddhas, she succeeded by the mental strength
of earnestly seeking the Dharma,
This incident occurred at Chonche Cave near Anjong Temple in Tongyong,
Kongnam. The Dharma relationship between the great master Songchol and
the nun was established in an exceptional way. The nun’s name
was Yu Hyechun. She sought out Chonche Cave in hopes of becoming a student
of Songchol. When she arrived at the cave, however, Master Songchol
did not accept her as a student and told her to leave before dark.
Hyechun said goodbye to the master, but she could not leave. She reflected
for a while and then asked the novice monk to let her see the master
again. Songchol still did not grant her request. The night became darker
and darker, colder and colder, but the nun did not move. Finally, the
master replied to her with a big bowl of water. He poured the water
right on Hyechun, in the midst of a rigorous winter. Just after this
extraordinary meeting, she began her retreat and her robes gradually
dried.
This extraordinary meeting between master and student reveals Hyechun's
attitude toward seeking Dharma for her life. She became a prominent
Son (Zen) practitioner who did not put her hwadu (koan) aside for even
a single moment. Her mind was stronger than a knife made of a golden
jewel and her character was as straight as a reed. The intense resolve
she demonstrated under the pine tree was comparable to that of Hyega,
the monk who became the great master’s Dharma successor.
When Hyechun reached the world, she was already liberated from the
bonds of cyclic existence. It was her task to turn an important page
in the history of Korean nuns.
She was born in a village in Kyonnam in 1919. Her father was a judge
and she was born as the third child in a family with three brothers
and four sisters. Her worldly name was Songjuk. As a child, she was
mild and wise - the best of daughters. In 1937, she graduated from Hamhung
Girl's High School in the north and left for the south of Korea. The
Korean War broke at that time and the war changed her life. She started
studying Buddhism at this time and was touched by the words, "Meeting
results in parting and living results in dying." Pobjon, a monk
from Bulgap Temple, encouraged her to become a nun. Soon after, she
happened to hear a Dharma talk on the Brahmajala Sutra from a prominent
Vinaya master named Jiun. Her determination began to grow.
In 1951, a year after the Korean War, Hyechun visited Haein temple.
There, at the age of 31, she began to practice under the instruction
of the bhikkhuni master Changho. A year later, she became ordained as
a novice nun. She participated in a total of 36 retreats in various
Son temples and she always practiced in a very strict way. During this
time, she visited the great master Songchol, who predicted, "She
will become a great nun." Under Songchol's influence, she continued
to practice Son. She was strict with herself, but she was also not simply
an observer of the movement to purify the monastic order that occurred
in 1954. She stood up for the movement with her Dharma friends and worked
to make it a success.
In 1961, she received the bhikkhuni precepts and the bodhisattva precepts
from Jaun, a Vinaya master of Tongdo Temple. In the Son retreat center
at Songnam Temple, she was given the position of ipsung, one who teaches
and guides other practitioners, and held this position for ten years.
After completing this task, she began a special 3-year retreat with
other great nuns, such as Inhong, Jangil, and Songu. By this time, she
had reached the age of 52. Her tireless determination in Dhamma became
well-known among other Son practitioners.
To finish the special 3-year retreat was a great accomplishment. However,
this was just the beginning. She founded Bohyon Hermitage, the first
Son retreat center for nuns, located in the Kaya mountain. This was
good news for all nuns, because the center was available to all of them
and the great master was available to teach as well.
"Even a single portion of donated rice is just like Mount Sumeru.
If you accept it and do not achieve the Buddhadhama, you will be reborn
as an animal." These were Hyechun’s favorite words. They
were often repeated, both by her and other practitioners. These great
words signify a simple lifestyle, gratitude for donations, and the noble
aim of practitioners.
Hyechun did not own any belongings her whole life and she worked conscientiously
for the welfare of others. Even at the age of 70, she founded a center
for young people and participated in social welfare activities. In 1992,
she established a huge retreat center and meditation hall for nuns.
The Korean government conferred honors on her, to commemorate her
compassionate works. In 1985, with the nuns of Packryon Hermitage, she
founded the Korean Bhikkhuni Association in promote harmony among nuns.
Hyechun did not take students until she was 50 years old, because
she thought that having students would damage her practice. Instead,
she continued to practice with other Dhamma friends. When she worked
as the ipsung of Songnam Temple and a nun named Soyoung asked to be
her student, she left the temple, which was a way of telling the nun
to seek a better teacher. Soyoung waited three years to become her student.
Hyechun began to take students after she founded Bohyon Hermitage. Eventually
she trained more than 20 nuns, including Soyoung. Her life passed in
the practice of Son. She never lied, even when she was old, and could
not even imagine skipping prayers. She missed playing piano and singing,
which she had learned before she became a nun, but maintained consistently
strict discipline. She was both lively and meticulous at the same time
and put beginners at ease. Her natural simplicity was balanced by her
practice of compassion.
Early one morning, she joined in the prayers at daybreak as usual and
finished a bowl of gruel. She told those around her, "We come like
this and leave like this. Coming and leaving are the same. The blue
wind takes a long way." This was the song of nirvana. It was a
day break. This symbolized not an end, but a new path. She reached nirvana
just like a practitioner, taking only her bowl and robe. It was November
6, 1998. Her worldly age was 80 and her Dhamma (ordination) age was
47.
Translated by Dr. Oksun An.
Buddhism is now one of the fastest growing faiths in America, and people see Buddhist nuns in the grocery store, at the airport, and in schools, and ask, "Who are these women? Why did they choose this lifestyle? What do they do? What message do they have for society?"
In Blossoms of the Dharma: Living as a Buddhist Nun, nuns the major Buddhist traditions describe their personal experiences, explain the history of the nuns' order, and discuss the variety of lifestyles a nun may live. The informative and personal, told with wisdom and humor.
Published by North Atlantic Books.
By Venerable Bhikshuni Wu Yin
Translated by Bhikshuni Jendy Shih
Edited by Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron
Over 2500 years ago, the Buddha's stepmother, Mahaprajapati and 500 women from the Shakya clan went through incredible difficulties to request bhikshuni ordination from the Buddha. In giving them permission to enter the order, the Buddha affirmed women's ability to practice the Dharma, to liberate themselves from cyclic existence, and to become enlightened. Even since, women have practiced the Dharma and we are reaping the benefit of the practice they preserved and passed down.
Choosing Simplicity presents the monastic life as a living tradition. It describes the meaning and purpose of being a Buddhist nun and includes and explanation of the precepts Venerable Wu Yin gave to Western nuns at the Life as a Western Buddhist Nun program in Bodhgaya, India, in 1996.
Published by Snow Lion Publications
Thailand has been a Theravada country since the 12th century. More than 90 percent of the Thai people are Buddhist. During the Buddha’s time there were both male and female renunciants, called bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, but among Theravada countries outside India, only Sri Lanka had an official order of nuns, which lasted for over 1000 years. Although there is no Thai order of nuns, female renunciants have a long history in Thailand. There have been Thai nuns called “maechee” since at least the Ayutthaya period (1350-1767).
Maechees take eight Buddhist precepts. They shave their head and eyebrows, wear white robes, and do not take any meals after noon. Thai nuns live at temples or nunneries and engage in a wide range of religious activities. The daily life of a nun does not differ significantly from that of a monk. They chant, meditate, study, and increasingly in recent times, go on daily alms rounds in the villages.
Maechee have long had limited access to education. Until now, government funding for religious studies in Thailand has only extended to male students. There are two universities and more than 100 high schools for monks and novices, but there has never been support for religious education for nuns and ppoor girls. Without educational opportunities, some girls enter the workforce in exploitative sectors, including prostitution. When Maechee Khunying Kanitha Wichiencharoen recognized this, she initiated the establishment of Mahapajapati Theri College.
The Thai Nuns’ Institute is a national organization for maechee which aims to assist and unite maechee from around the country. Established in 1969, the Institute came under the patrinage of the Queen of Thailand in 1972. The Thai Ministry of Education is presently drafting a law to legalize the status of maechee. Under the law, monks enjoy support for higher education, free hospital services, and concessions on public transportation, none of which extend to maechee. Although there are female renunciants in Thailand with a profound knowledge of Buddhism and meditation skills, few have scholastic training. Education is increasingly seen as necessary for the nuns’ advancement.
Maechee Khunying Kanitha was formerly president of the Women Lawyers’ Association and the Association for the Promotion of the Status of Women. Her work has focused on women’s issues for more than 40 years. Since her ordination as a Buddhist nuns in 1993, she has concentrated on improving the situation of nuns in Thailand.
In 1998, two pieces of land at Pakthongchai (Nakorn Rachasima) were
donated for the purpose of building a college for nuns and laywomen.
The idea of establishing such a college was proposed to Mahamakut University,
one of two Buddhist monks’ colleges, and the proposal was accepted
in November 1998. A pilot project began in May 1999 in the outskirts
of Bangkok, with teachers from surrounding universities and colleges,
and there are currently 11 nuns and 4 lay students. The campus at Pakthongchai
will open in 2001 and students will receive a Bachelor’s degree
after 4 years of study. The college also plans short courses and retreats
open to women from around the world.
After the construction is completed, three faculties will open: Buddhist
Studies, Education, and Social Welfare. A multi-purpose building will
accommodate meetings, and sitting and walking meditation. The college
will include a kindergarten for poor children from neighboring villages
which will provide teachers’ training. A adjacent piece of land
will house a convalescent home for poor, aged women, for training social
welfare students. Future plans include a shelter for women and children
like the Emergency Home which the Association for the Promotion of the
Status of Women has operated for 20 years. The Home -- Thailand’s
first -- provides services to over 100 residents, including women who
are pregnant, deserted, battered, caring for infants, and HIV positive.
Care units operate night and day for the benefit of pre-school children
and working mothers.
For further information on how to support the new college, please contact:
Mahapajapati Theri College
501/1 Mu 3 Dechatungka Road, Sikan
Donmuang, Bangkok 10210
Thailand
Phone: 662-929-222, Ext. 103
Fax: 662-929-2300
Ven. Thich Thuan Dinh, neé Dieu Sen ("Wonderful Lotus")
Nguyen, was born in 1941 into an aristocratic family in Hue, Vietnam.
Her great-grandfather was an influential minister of the Vietnamese
king, Duy Tan. Even as a young child, Ven. Thuan Dinh was known for
her keen intelligence, and her kind and loving disposition.
Because of the war in Vietnam, her family was forced to move from place
to place many times. Despite many hardships, Ven. Thuan Dinh studied
hard and graduated from the University of Can Tho with a major in French.
After graduation she taught French at the prestigious Trung Vuong High
School in Saigon and also volunteered as a teacher at a temple school.
In 1975, because her sister's husband worked at the American Embassy,
she was able to leave Vietnam for the United States with her family.
She attended college in Los Angeles, California, and worked as a financial
counselor at Gems Institute, a well-known jewelry design school. During
this time, she became a vegetarian and started practicing Buddhist meditation.
After practicing Buddhism for many years, Ven. Thuan Dinh decided to
become a nun. She studied under the famous Vietnamese meditation master
Ven. Thich Thanh Tu, who tested her determination seriously before agreeing
to confer the precepts. Always an independent spirit, she quietly received
ordination without informing her family, fearing they would try to prevent
her from entering monastic life.
Using her own resources, Ven. Thuan Dinh ("Proficient in Meditation")
then founded a meditation center, Tue Thong Temple, in California. Very
talented in sewing, music, and art, she was always called upon to do
drawings of the Buddha for special celebrations at the temple.
In 1995, after years of teaching at the temple and intensive meditation
practice in Vietnam, Ven. Thuan Dinh went to India to study at the renowned
Varanasi Sanskrit University. After earning an M.A. in Pali with top
marks, she began a doctoral program in Pali at the same university.
Ven. Thuan Dinh traveled to Lumbini, Nepal, to attend the 6th Sakyadhita
International Conference on Buddhist Women from February 1 to 7, 2000.
Loved and respected by all who met her, she talked on "Understanding
Vietnamese Buddhist Women," led meditation and chanting, and was
a lively participant in group discussions at the conference. Tragically,
on February 13, she was killed in a road accident while returning to
Varanasi.
Ven. Thuan Dinh was an examplary Buddhist practitioner and a light to
the world. She will always be remembered for her warm heart and loving
smile. She is survived by her sister in Florida, her brother in Vietnam,
nieces, nephews, and a large community of Dharma friends around the
world.
May she quickly achieve nirvana!
Karma Lekshe Tsomo
March 15, 2000