A Nun’s Thankful Phone Call
Our monastic team leader shares the following inspiring story regarding a recent donation trip. We continue to express great gratitude for the generosity of our donors who have earmarked their contribution for these monastic needs!
Yesterday, I received a phone call from the head nun of a nunnery where 356 nuns are offered free basic education alongside Buddhist monastic education. The nunnery provides free education to young nuns from Kindergarten through Grade 9. It also offers accommodation and meals for 15 residential nuns, and it cares for their health. The Head Nun and her assistants established the nunnery on the outskirts of Yangon in 2004 to teach Buddhist education to the nuns. At first, they were teaching 4 or 5 nuns basic literacy and Buddhist prayers, the foundations of monastic education. Five years later, the compassionate founding nuns of the nunnery began to teach the children around, as they noticed that education was out of reach for them on the outskirts of the commercial city of Myanmar. Their parents were low-income laborers struggling just to survive.
The people around the nunnery are mostly masons, carpenters, fishermen, vegetable vendors, garment factory laborers, and so on—most of them low-income. They live in shabby huts in the fields or beside streams, where the environment is dirty and polluted with rubbish, and the living conditions are poor for health. When the parents went to work in the downtown areas, children were left at home with the oldest child, usually around 10 or 12 years old, or with a sick grandmother. The compassionate nuns were aware of these underprivileged children who could not attend school, even though they were at the age to do so. The Head Nun and her assistants began to provide free primary education, and later, the nunnery opened a basic education school with approval from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Education. It expanded to include post-primary grades (Grades 5 through 8) and eventually added Grade 9. The student body grew to 368, including nuns, novices, and other lay students. The nunnery has since become a community center for education for children from this village on the outskirts of Yangon.
The Head Nun praised the generosity of the international donors who have supported the nunnery's general expenses, including the education, food, and accommodation of the children. She emphasized that a donation (dāna) cannot truly occur without the spirit of generosity, even when a gift and a recipient are present. She mentioned that she sends definite loving-kindness (Odissa Metta) to the donors whenever she sends the universal loving-kindness (Anodissa Metta) to all sentient beings. She directs this focused loving-kindness toward them every time she sees something in the nunnery that was made possible through their support. It is deeply inspiring to realize how much the donors’ contributions have helped those renunciates who are seeking eternal liberation from worldly attachments, as well as those who are striving to give young children a good life and guide them along the Path. How powerful these words are!
Her voice on the phone was so calm and peaceful. Although I haven’t met her in person, I can sense the inner calm she has cultivated through meditation, which radiates through her voice. It sounded free from anger, greed, delusion, and pride. Based on my experience and personal studies, her voice reflects mindfulness, humility, and gratitude, showing her deep respect and care for the donors, in line with the Buddha’s teachings on overcoming pride.
She deeply appreciates the profound generosity of the donors, even though they are from different corners of the world and far from us. Their support is unforgettable. She emphasized her recognition of the donors’ dedication in making these donations possible and overcoming the challenges to ensure they reach the nunneries. When she mentioned that our local team, which helps facilitate the donations, also gains merit, I felt goosebumps, filled with delight. I was especially moved by her humility when she acknowledged that she and her fellow nuns also need to dutifully put in effort to earn the merit, as they are simply implementers of the donors’ generosity. She shared that she and other beneficiary nunneries collaborate and discuss ways to ensure the welfare of the children.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that she is originally from a neighboring township of my home township in Sagaing Region. We exchanged lively smiles over the phone, feeling a heartfelt connection. We were connected from deep in our hearts. Finally, we concluded our conversation by sending loving-kindness and wishing each other well. As I was filled with delight, I wanted to share it with all the donors, because happiness is contagious. As the nun said, “We repeatedly do Anumodana—rejoicing in the merits of the donors,” I was very touched to help facilitate these donations. Thank you for letting me participate in your merits. May you all be blessed!