會議地點：越南胡志明市；時間：2009.12.18 - 2010.01.03；大會主題：傑出的女性修行者與典範=Eminent Buddhist Women
摘要
The canonical Dhammadinna, recorded in Buddhist histories, was the wife of a merchant. She and her husband became followers of the Buddha and she decided to ordain as a bhikkhuni. Shortly thereafter, she became enlightened (arahant) and was renowned for her ability to teach. On one occasion, while Bhikkhuni Dhammadinna was giving a Dhamma talk, the Buddha sat silently and listened. After the talk, the Buddha said that he could not have given the teachings any better and praised her vigorously.
The Canadian Dhammadinna, a pioneer in teaching Buddhist meditation in Canada, had this same aptitude and ability. At the age of 47, a woman named Anna Burian left Canada on a spiritual quest, traveling the highways and by-ways of Asia for six years. In 1964, she renounced the householder life and took ordination in Bandarawela, Sri Lanka. Her teacher, the late Nyanasatta Thera, gave her the name Dhammadinna at her ordination name. She was affectionately known to her friends and students as Anagarika, a term for a lay renunciant.
A year after starting her new life as a Theravadan Buddhist nun, Anagarika returned to Canada to build a simple house and continue her study and practice. Not long after, spiritual seekers gathered around her and she was soon invited to teach and lead meditation retreats. Anagarika had a profound influence on many lives. She guided students in their meditation practice and taught them how to bring their spiritual practice into their busy western lifestyles. She helped to create and nurture study groups, and assisted in the establishment of Buddhist societies. Some of her students are now sharing the Dhamma by guiding meditation retreats and teaching at education institutions. A few have taken monastic ordination.
Anagarika Dhammadina sought out Buddhist monastics and invited them to Canada, which gave us the opportunity to study and practice with highly attained scholars and meditation teachers. At her suggestion, I invited the late Ayya Khema to Canada to lead a meditation retreat in 1987. The results of her visit are still rippling through the Sakyadhita organization today.
As far as I know, Anagarika Dhammadina was the first Theravada nun in Western Canada. She had a tremendous impact on all of us who knew and studied with her. Her powerful example offered inspiration and encouragement to women and men of every culture. Her devotion to liberation set a wonderful example, which encouraged others to practice and follow the Buddha’s teachings of virtue, wisdom, and meditation.
Anagarika Dhammadina radiated a genuine warmth, kindness, and compassion. She was lively and calm, stern and friendly in equal measure, and always concerned about the welfare of her students. Her humble gentle manner, good nature, and groundedness inspired all those who knew her. She not only embraced Buddhist practice very seriously, but also had an uncompromising adherence to the original teachings of the Buddha. She showed us how to combine life in the modern world with serious Buddhist practice, a teaching which is significant for the future of Buddhism worldwide.
