22 Hui-mu, Her Unfolding Path

high-definition creative commons posters based on Kathryn Ann Tsai’s translation of Pi-chiu-ni chuan entitled, Lives of the Nuns.

The story of the nun Shih Hui-mu, a figure from the lineage of Shakyamuni, offering multiple versions of her life story and religious experiences. The text focuses on her early adoption of a religious life at age eleven, her dedication to chanting, and her ability to memorise vast amounts of scripture, highlighting her intellectual and spiritual aptitude. A central theme is the challenges Hui-mu faced in fully embracing monastic rules while caring for her elderly, sick mother, which forced her to temporarily live as a householder. The sources recount supernatural visions she experienced, including dreams and sightings of figures in golden robes, and the subsequent scepticism and questioning from her older brother regarding her religious path. The text confirms that Hui-mu later received full monastic admission and continued her spiritual practice, culminating in a vision of the Buddha Amitāyus before her death at age sixty-nine.

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