An Anonymous Buddhist Nun Speaks
It has been twenty-five years since I became a nun
But still I am restless
No peace of mind- not even one moment
(she snaps her fingers)
Every thought of sex
I hold out my arms
Cry out like a madwomen
Then I go to my cell
But I heard Dhamma-Dinna preach
and she taught me impermanence
I see I see other lives past and present
I read other minds present and past
The ear element is purified
I hear I hear I can really hear
- c 6th -3rd century B.C.E.?
transl. Andrew Schelling & Anne Waldman
