Qiyuan
Xinggang was a legendary female Chan master who amassed thousands of
devotees in seventeenth-century China, resisting family pressure to
marry and skepticism from male Buddhist leaders.
As a child, Qiyuan Xinggang demonstrated a strong interest in Buddhism.
Fated to marry, she yearned to train under a Chan master instead. Even
after her fiancé died, her parents still refused to allow her to seek a
religious life, so she went on a hunger strike until they gave in.
Seeking spiritual direction from a series of masters, Qiyuan Xinggang
encountered abuse, setbacks, and frustrations as she struggled with the
difficult questions put to her by the masters, but nonetheless, she
persisted.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment