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How to Integrate Buddhism

into Daily Life?

By Venerable Amy Miller

Benny Liow interviewed Venerable Amy on her life as a
nun, the relevance of Buddhism in the modern age, and
how to practice positive values in everyday life.

Benny: You’ve been a nun for 25 years now. What
first attracted you to Buddhism, and what inspired
you to remain a nun for so long?

Ven. Amy: I was very fortunate to meet Kyabje Lama
Zopa Rinpoche, a Buddhist master in the Tibetan
Amy J. Miller (Ven. Lobsang Chodren) first tradition, early in my “Dharma career” at Kopan
encountered Buddhism in 1987 at Kopan Monastery Monastery in Nepal. Rinpoche seemed to exude
in Nepal and has been ordained since 2000. She has profoundly beneficial qualities I had never fully
spent a great deal of time engaged in meditation experienced in other beings. So, I was very curious to
retreats, study, teaching, and Buddhist center explore how I might develop those qualities in myself.
management. Prior to studying Buddhism, Amy was With Rinpoche’s guidance, I was able to practice, study,
a political fundraiser in Washington, D.C., and also and serve for 13 years before ordaining—and then,
worked for Mother Jones magazine in San Francisco, ordination just seemed like the next step for me on the
California. She trained as a hospice counselor during spiritual path. Rinpoche’s blessings really supported my
the peak of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco and becoming ordained.
now offers courses and retreats on death, dying,
I’ve been very fortunate, as I feel that being a nun is one
and end-of-life care. Amy also leads pilgrimages to
of the best things in my life. Ordination has lessened
Buddhist sites, such as Lawudo Retreat Center in
various distractions and helps me focus more intently
the Mount Everest region of Nepal. See her website
on how to best manifest in the world.
below for more information.
Benny: The Buddha taught more than 2,600 years
Amy’s teaching style helps people connect with ago, mainly to monastics. In today’s secular society,
meditation and mindfulness to gain a refreshing what aspects of the teachings do you find most
perspective on everyday stress. She is also the co- relevant, especially for the lay community?
author of FPMT’s Buddhism in a Nutshell. For more
information on Amy’s teaching schedule and courses, Ven. Amy: Kindness, kindness, and more kindness!
visit www.AmyMiller.com. Amy is currently a touring Many spiritual traditions emphasize kindness, yet due
teacher for the Foundation for the Preservation of to the imbalances in our minds, we often lose sight of it.
the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) and is occasionally The tradition of Buddhism I follow—the Mahāyāna—
based in Philadelphia, United States. has at its heart bodhicitta, the extraordinary attitude
of aspiring to reach full awakening for the benefit of all
sentient beings. If we can keep this in mind as much as