Bhikshuni Nanduttara: It’s Not Fair
I spent most of my teenage years running from one bed to another. Any sign of warmth would do.
Bhikshuni Sukka: The Way Back Home
Look at me. Even on the darkest night, I could show you where to find enough light to make your way back home.
Bhikshuni Vasetthi: Oh, My Heart
I called out to my grief and drew it toward me.
I held my grief and gently rocked it.
Shh, I said. There, there. There, there.
Uttara: Fire
As dawn was breaking,
wisdom rose in the east—
and set fire to the long dark night.
Therigatha: Fall on your knees and weep
If you really want to cry for somebody,
why not cry for yourself?
Why not cry for all of us,
who are just passing through?
Bhikshuni Mahaprajapati: What mother doesn’t see a Buddha in her child?
To care for all the children, without exception, as though each will someday be the one to show us all the way home: that is the Path.
Bhikshuni Sama: Without Argument
When I was young, my mother told me that I would find true happiness only in marriage.
Bhikshuni Vijaya: Keep Going
Sometimes the most direct path is not a straight line.
Bhikshuni Ubbiri: A Voice Calling Back
84,000 daughters, all named Jiva, have died and been buried here in this boundless cemetery you call a world.
Bhikshuni Vimala: At the Foot of the Tree
My mother taught me how to sell my youth for money and some sense of power, just as her mother had taught her. At our front door, I answered the … Continue reading
Bhikshuni Chitta: On the Wind
At the top of the mountain, I spread my outer robe on a rock to dry, set down my staff and bowl, took a deep breath, and looked around.
Bhikshuni Soma: Neither Male Nor Female
He said: How could a woman who knows no more than how to cook, clean, and make babies, possibly reach the further shore, on the way to which so many … Continue reading
Bhikshuni Mettika: Just in Case
The mountain went on holding me. Then it let me go.
