Welcome to my Village!
My name is Maha Pajapati Gotami named after the Great Lord Buddha’s foster mother, who herself allowed women bhikkuni’s (female Buddhist monks) to finally be ordained in the Dhamma and Vinaya. Inspired by Late Maha Pajapati Gotami and Lord Buddha I decided to take a drastic step and leave my family including a mother, father, and younger brother in search of enlightenment. I grew up in the capital of Tibet known as Lhasa, and although I am accustomed to the hustle and bustle that surrounds my entire existence, I never wholly felt at peace. I’m not sure whether I would consider this a sign from the Great Buddha, but one morning as I was walking to the market to gather some vegetables for my mother I came across a breathtaking nunnery. It seemed odd to me that despite the fact that I had walked the same path a countless number of times to reach the market, as it was the one market which grew the heartiest of vegetables I never once thought to pause and admire the nunnery. While looking up towards the nunnery I suddenly felt something sharp hit the top nock of my head, and then land silently beside my foot. Bending down to retrieve the object I noticed it was a stone in carved with the face of our Buddha. Deciding that it would be best to return what I would assume is a valuable object I entered the nunnery. There a female monk greeted me, and graciously accepted the stone, although she was puzzled as to how it had ended up outside. She then welcomed me to help her do an alms round for all the guests that had just finished prayer, as they were short of hands. Graciously I accepted and I soon began enjoying myself, feeling safe and at home amongst the luscious architecture that adorned the walls, and the great smell of incents that hit my nose. Whatever it was that happened to me that day on the way to the market I knew that there was something more for me than what my life had become in Lhasa. Luckily I had made up my mind about leaving as my parents had decided that, that night for dinner they would invite their friends over from a neighbouring city in Tibet to ask my hand in marriage. I knew it was ridiculous, and I had also discovered on my way back home that I wanted to become a novice nun, and provide some stamina for the name that had been bestowed upon me. And so in the wee hours of the morning I took my small satchel and walked by foot towards a new path. I had no idea where I was headed, but I felt as if a sign would come and I would soon discover my new home. My parents would have been furious at the prospect of me becoming a nun, which is quite ironic, as they had decided to name me after a bhikkuni. I’m not sure if it was because they wanted me to have the name of a strong female leader, but either way the prospect of my future would have been near to impossible if I had decided to stay with them, and so with a heavy heart but a determined mind set I landed upon this village.
I have settled at least temporarily in this new village high above the Himalayas, looking out during dawn you feel as if you can almost taste the clouds. The people are extremely kind, specifically the new nunnery that has just finished its building expenditures and has offered me some solitude. Their only request was that I work rigorously on my religious prayers and mastering the sutras. I agreed to this whole-heartedly as I had learnt my passion and curiosity for knowledge and scholarship in just a week of living amongst the other nuns. Living at the nunnery has allowed me to balance both my daily chores, while allowing me to make room for meditation and daily recitation of the sutras. Although the sutras are a challenging text to master, I’ve found that memorizing them has made me feel oddly more content and at peace…. maybe I was always meant for the monastic life. Currently I am ordained as a novice nun, which essentially means that I have taken a certain number of vows and have decided to dedicate my whole life to the monastic way. Though there are fully ordained nuns, called bhikkuni’s, and despite the fact that I am named after a great bhikkuni, they do not exist in the Tibetan tradition. At this precise moment I am content with where I am, and am beyond joyous with the fact that I have been given the rare opportunity to study the sutras amongst such educated monastic nuns.
When I first approached the nunnery I mentioned earlier on in Lhasa I also became extremely fascinated by the architecture of the building. I also wondered how the nunnery was built, and what tools and skills were needed to help it stay strong and sturdy against situations, such as approaching storms, and evil spirits. Although I am completely absorbed with my daily chores and practice of religious prayers at the nunnery, I am hoping to develop building as a secondary skill. Recently there has been news of building new infrastructures in the village, and I have wandered over to the builders of the village a few times as I find their stories of building new infrastructures very fascinating. I have also offered my help should they need some extra hands as a form of charity work. However my home-building skills need to be put on hold for the time being, as there is news of a worrisome hailstorm approaching. It is said to be a grave storm that could potentially impact the village immensely. If the hailstorm does indeed bring with it grapefruit sized hailstones, there will be harmful damage to not only housing, but also our food supplies. Being high enough in the Himalayas also makes us extremely vulnerable to the impending hailstorm, and potential flooding. Even though I am extremely nervous about the potential hailstorm, as I’m just beginning to know everyone here, and do not have the support of a concrete family, I have decided to follow the parts of the noble eightfold path with right speech specifically. By following “right speech” I am refraining from engaging in gossip with the other townspeople outside the nunnery. I want a clear state of mind, when attempting to conquer my fears about this storm potentially destroying our beautiful, quaint village. Some individuals within the village are running their mouths wild with rumors of black magic causing the hailstorm, but I have turned myself away from this aura of negative energy. There was also talk about an amulet seller in Deer Park with rare and protective amulets, but I was unable to make the trip over to retrieve the object, with the amount of work and dedication I have had to provide to the nunnery to show that I am determined to stay there, as a practicing nun. I know I am taking a rather large risk, but then I do have my scholarship and religious prayers to turn too in times of need. There are a few things I can do if I have strong will and a right-mind to divert the storm.
Turning to my different mantras I will attempt to provide my fellow village members with protection, and peace, and a clear state of mind during this horrid storm. I have decided to stay entrapped in my room chanting day and night, for protection against evil spirits, and the well being of my home. Many nuns have also taught me that there a number of rituals that could help delay a hailstorm, I just have to continue focusing my energy towards a positive direction, while doing my research. So I have found that the recitation of the Paritta Chanting sutras help with protection, against evil spirits, misfortune, and sickness, and they also help instill confidence in the mind. The vibrant sound of the chanting also creates a very pleasing atmosphere in the vicinity, while the rhythm remains just as important. I should go now, and discuss this amongst my fellow nuns, do wish me best of luck, and send all your well wishes to the inhabitants of my village!
