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FACE TO FACE | EASTERN HORIZON 41

I decided to pursue bhikkhunī ordination because it
was designed by the Buddha to be the best form to make
progress on this path, as a full renunciant. I have found
that being a bhikkhunī is a wonderful opportunity to be
naturally sheltered from all the praise, honor, and gain
(that the Buddha says are bitter, vile, and obstructive to
awakening!). Being bound by the precepts for all these
years has been such an incredible gift of freedom.

What have been your most joyful experience since
becoming a Buddhist nun?

The more I am in robes, the happier I am. It is truly
a blessing! There are two activities that give me the opportunity to share the Dhamma with them in a very
most joy: translating scriptures from Pāli into both personal way.
English and Italian (my native language), and practicing
Cārika (the monastic practice of wandering) in my For example, in one of our trips on foot, we encountered
home country of Italy. It is during these occasions that a man who kindly offered us a meal at his home. Later
I feel like I am literally living in the Suttas (the ancient he felt comfortable to share his struggles with us: he
discourses that describe how monks lived during said he was a sinner, and that he was afflicted by a
the time of the Buddha). Whenever we do our Cārika huge sense of guilt for being a gambler and creating
(wandering practice) in Italy we get to live entirely problems for himself and his family. It was so moving
on faith, only protected by the precepts, in a place that he entrusted us to see him so vulnerable. It was in
where people do not know who we are, but are that moment that we were able to give him a teaching
familiar with contemplatives. We don’t use or receive of anattā (non-self): we reminded him that he was not
money, we only eat one meal a day, we meditate in the born a gambler, that he had not always been a gambler,
forest, we walk everywhere, and we sleep wherever and that therefore he was not destined to be a gambler
we can find a suitable dwelling place: very similar forever. The gambler identity didn’t belong to him, it
to spiritual mendicants in ancient India! Through this was just the result of habits, not his true self—he just
practice I’ve been able to face and transcend many needed to focus on creating new habits, in order to
fears, strengthen my faith in the Buddha, and also have get a better, more wholesome result. He understood
beautiful spontaneous encounters with folks who are immediately. It was so moving to see the teachings
not Buddhist, but delight in making merit—we have the of the Buddha give him some immediate relief from