women on the path "Martine Batchelor has recorded unique and beautiful voices of feminine Dharma, bringing alive the blessings and true medicine of the Buddha." JACK KORNFIELD women on the hn^^Kifi^ path women on the path Martine Batchelor Edited by GiU Farrer-Halls .A. T Thorsons Thorsons An Imprint of HarperCoUinsPuWis/iCT-s 77-85 Fulham Palace Road Hammersmith, London w6 8jB The Thorsons website address is: www.thorsons.com . TM T and Thorsons are trademarks of HarperCollinsPuWis/«TS Ltd First published as Walking on Lotus Flowers in 1996 by Thorsons This edition published by Thorsons in 2002 13579 10 8642 © Martine Batchelor 1996 Martine Batchelor asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0007133197 Printed in Great Britain by Creative Print & Design, Ebbw Vale, Wales Photo p. 104 by Phil Borges All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechar\ical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. To rny mallier. Lea Rages contents Acknowledgements ix Introduction xi Part One: The Meditative Path 1 The Space between Thoughts (Ani Tenzin Palmo) 3 2 A Zen Journey (Songgyong Sunim) 18 3 The Glass Is Already Broken (Ayya Khema) 37 4 The ABC of Meditation (Aoyatna Sensei) 52 5 Serenity and Stillness (Maechee Pathomwan) 58 6 Walking on Lotus Flowers (/ Tsao Fashih) 73 Part Two: Training the Mind 7 The Water and the Wave (Myongsong Sunim) 83 8 Enlightened Education (Hiuzvan Fashih) 92 9 A Gradual Path (Ani Thubten Chodron) 104 10 The Doors of Liberation (Haeju Sunim) 118 Part Three: The Creative Life 11 Uncovering the Light CYafiMf L^ Towmdm) 129 12 The Struggle to Succeed (Pang Kwihi) 145 13 Zen and the Art of Painting (Okbong Sunim) 152 Part Four: Healing the World 14 Songs Are Flowers of the Mind (Jongmok Sunim) 161 15 Your Eyes Are Precious Gems (Sister Chan Khong) 172 16 Who Is Healing? (Daehaeng Sunim) 183 17 Saying Yes to Love (Maura Sills) 188 18 The Dharma of Family Life (Christina Feldman) 201 Further Reading 215 Glossary 217 acknowledgements I would like to thank deeply all the nuns and laywomen who are in this book for their availability, their wisdom and compas- sion. 1 have a debt of profound gratitude to all the nuns, monks and laypeople who kindly helped me on my travels with trans- lation, information, food, lodging and support. 1 would Uke to mention especially the Koo family, Mr and Mrs Dodds, Paul and Suil Jaffe, Chatsumam Kabilsingh and Sheryl Keller. I would Uke to thank Susan Blake for her enthusiasm in the early stages of the editing. Gill Farrer-HaUs for her skills and the joy of working with her, and Liz Puttick at HarperCollins for her interest and support. To finish 1 would like to thank my hus- band, Stephen, for his love, support and help throughout the project. This book would not have been possible without generous grants from the Korea Foundation, the Spalding Trust and the International Society for Ecology and Culture. IX introduction 'How can I meditate when I am so busy with my work and family?' 'How can I reconcile activity with stillness?' 'Are there any Buddhist nuns?' 'Can you find great female spiritual teach- ers in the Buddhist tradition?' As a meditation teacher and former Buddhist nun, I have been asked these questions countless times. So I decided to compile a book drawn from the living experiences of contempo- rary women, showing how a meditative attitude can influence a diverse range of lifestyles and activities. Indeed, I discovered many great nuns and Buddhist women teachers today. From conception to completion this book was a long drawn- out adventure. I had to believe I could do it and find the finan- cial support to make it happen. I wrote to two grant-giving organizations, but not much happened, so I gave up. Then sud- denly, after a long time, both grants came together within a week, plus a further grant from another organization. I was stunned; and I had to do it! My travels took me from my doorstep, where I interviewed Western women, to the roots of Buddhism in Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand. I was amazed and elated by the riches and array of lifestyles I found. Some women I knew already and had corresponded with, but I encountered so many more it became difficult to choose who would be in the book. I had 40 interviews, all with quite extraordinary women, but realized I had to confine myself to 18, for reasons of space, and the quality of each interview became the decisive factor. However, in a cer- tain way they all speak for each other. XI Wcxnen on the Buddhist Path When I interviewed people I felt like a beginner, asking simple, relevant and practical questions. Some interviews were in English; the easiest to deal with. Many were in Korean; I hope my translation conveys the person behind the words. Others were translated by someone else at the time from Japanese, Chinese and Thai. Every chapter tells a story and gives advice on meditation in the personal voice and through the distinctive experience of each woman. Meeting these Buddhist women was a learning process which kept developing as I worked on the interviews, translating, tran- scribing, typing and editing. I never became bored because there was so much freshness and wisdom; such good stories. I still wonder if I would have the courage and faith of Ani Tenzin Palmo when faced by a blizzard in the Himalayas, or Ayya Khema's calm acceptance when confronted with cancer. I remain inspired by Haeju Sunim, who tells us we are all Buddhas and the only way to live is to display the compassion and wisdom of a Buddha; no need to wait for another time, another retreat, another life. I am still enthused by I Tsao Fashih, who tried convincing me to pray to be reborn in the Pure Land. She could see I was not very keen, but was so joyful, generous and funny that I left her feeling perhaps I might be walking on lotus flowers, and wouldn't life be amazing experi- enced that way! I chuckle again at the insouciance with which Maechee Pathomwan regarded a snake appearing on her lap, compared to the fear a ghost would have caused her. I marvel at the surre- alist imagination of Yahne Le Toumelin. I am touched by the simplicity of Zen painter Okbong Sunim and the compassion of Jonmok Sunim, a nun disc jockey and social worker. Some of their experiences are similar to mine. Like Sister Chan Khong, I was told to pray to be reborn as a man; like her I discard it as nonsense and do not think it relevant advice, how- ever kindly meant by however saintly and enlightened a Xll Introduction person. But we must not forget the Buddha was revolutionary when he said everybody was equal in awakening. This book proves his point by showing women taking hold of their spiri- tual path and displaying a wide spectrum of meditative achievements. Manv books have been written about women and Buddhism from a feminist, sociological, religious, cultural or historical point of \iew. I wanted to approach this subject from a different angle, that of meditative experience and everyday life. Some of the women in this book are at the forefront of the debate in the West. But I wanted to know more about their actual liv^es than their ideas; how did they live day to day as Buddhists? What did it mean for them at an experiential level to be a Buddhist woman practitioner? In the East whenever I broached the subject of women and Buddhism or nuns versus monks, the women felt they were equal. Myongsong Sunim, for example, says that monks and nuns are the two wings of a bird - the bird needs both wings in order to fly. And indeed, in their experience they have been equal, achie\Tng the same as any man or monk in their practice and status. Even when conditions seemed to be against them, like in Thailand, this did not stop Maechee Pathomwan from becoming a nun, practising and becoming a respected teacher. I need to say something about the status of nuns in Buddhism. This varies according to the social and historical conditions in each country and makes too long a story to relate here. So I have abbreviated it thus: Korean nuns are 90 per cent equal to monks, Japanese nuns 60 per cent, Taiwanese nuns 85 per cent. Thai nuns 15 per cent, Tibetan nuns 45 per cent. For example, Korean nuns take the full ordination with 338 pre- cepts, whilst Thai nuns barely have an ordination at all, with only eight or 10 precepts. Unsurprisingly, the Korean nuns are better supported and have more opportunities for training and studying. But what Xlll Women on the Buddhist Path impressed and reassured me was that no matter how difficult and poor the conditions, the women practitioners I met were able to transcend them, lead full lives and become teachers in their own right, like Maechee Pathomwan in Thailand and Pang Kwihi, a paraplegic novelist in Korea. I tried to include many Buddhist traditions to show the wide range of meditative techniques, and 1 found a multiplicity of approaches and possibilities. The Buddhist path is diverse; there is a little of everything for everybody.