ayya khema

[delilah]

Did anyone here know her personally?
Did she ever speak about her family?

[cooran]

Hello delilah,

Never knew her personally, but here is a little about her from Buddhanet.net:

Sister Ayya Khema (1923-1997)
http://www.buddhanet.net/masters/ayya-khema.htm

with metta
Chris

[delilah]

Thanks a lot. I'm her granddaughter. My dads a pretty closed person and he doesn't like talking about her since she died. She died when I was pretty young but she made such a big impact on me. I really want to get to know more about her. I've heard snippets about her favourite food etc, but I've heard she didn't really like my mum much so unfortunetly my mum doesn't have a lot to tell me because she doesn't really have much in common with her at all and didn't really get along with her (of course they didn't argue, it was more they just were family rather then friends). I have met naynabhodi (sp?) once or twice when I was very young and I feel uncomfortable calling him from across the world just to ask him about her. I do really appreciate the link to the info though

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Delilah,

I don't know much about her personal life, but I do know that what teachings of hers I have read have all been very impressive.

Perhaps the greatest legacy should could pass on could be her spiritual discoveries, and her means to find happiness in this life.

Metta,
Retro.

[delilah]

I'm not a buddhist hwoever I do believe in her wisdom. I remember when I was about 5 I went to visit her in Germany at the buddha haus and I told her how I thought no one in my class liked me a day or two before we left. I sitll have the casette tape she made me that talked about imagining I was a flower and blossoming and how she had remebered what I'd said and she wanted me to listen to the tape whenever I felt sad, it's very beautfiul. I wish my boyfriend could meet her. She was the one person who made me feel unconditionally loved and I just feel liek I know little about her. Her buddist teachings while interesting just don't satisfy the need to know her for her. THough perhaps the wrong forum for me to post in I just couldn't find any information anywhere from anyone who knew her personally.

I want to know if she was independent and head strong, if she was stubborn or happy to go along with everyone else's plans. I want to know if she was organised like I am and what her thoughts on love and relatinsohips were. I wish she was here to guide me as a grandmother I guess, rather than as a nun and It's so frustrating that I can't find any information on her as a person rather then her teachings, it was a long shot posting here I was just hoping someone had vistited her at a retreat and learnt about her perhaps.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

I guess what I'm saying is that you may come to know her more deeply through her teachings than by any conventional explanations of who she was and what she was like.

Either way, good luck!



Metta,
Retro.

[Taco]

I noticed that Leigh Brasington was her student. He has a website and an email address and maybe he is easier for you to contact than the monastics.
http://www.leighb.com/index.html

[alan]

I have several of her books and think she was an excellent teacher.
She wrote an autobiography, too. Have you read it delilah? Seems like the obvious place to start.

[Theravadidiliana]

Hi Delilah,

My friend was working at Wat Buddha Dhamma in Wiseman's Ferry near Sydney Australia. I think he actually fixed up Ayya Khema's actual kuti. He has facebook photos of it. I'll ask him if I can share them for you:
http://www.wbd.org.au/


"Theravada Buddhism in the eastern states was greatly popularized by the Ven Khantipalo ( Lawrence Mills )mentioned earlier. Ordained as a samanera by Ven. Saddhatissa in the UK, he then went to India to teach Ambedkar's Buddhist converts and then to Thailand where he received bhikkhu ordination. After 11 years there, he came to Australia. Later, he also established Wat Buddha-Dhamma on land in the Dharug National park purchased and donated by his closest student the German lady, Ilse Ledermann ( later ordained by Ven. Narada Thera as Ayya Khema).Ven. Khantipalo wrote several books but later disrobed to practice Dzogchen, a technique of meditation of Tibetan Buddhism. Like the Ven. Khantipalo, Ayya Khema also popularized Theravada by teaching extensively and holding retreats. Later she went to Sri Lanka and established Parappuduwa Nun's Island, a retreat for the training of nuns, especially those of western origin." http://www.parami.org/duta/aussie.htm

Metta!

[cooran]

Hello delilah,

You may be able to contact Minh An - previously known as Ven. Khantipalo and whose lay name was Lawrence Mills. Earlier this year he was ordained as a noviciate into the Vietnamese tradition, giving him his new name of Minh An (meaning Peace:with Wisdom).
To read about his ordination etc. - scroll down on this page:

http://www.quangminh.org.au/index.php/i ... &Itemid=46

with metta
Chris

[bodom]

Did anyone here know her personally?
Did she ever speak about her family?

Hi delilah

You may be interested to know, if you didn't already, that Ayya Khema wrote an an autobiography:

http://www.amazon.com/I-Give-You-My-Life/dp/1570625719

[delilah]

Thanks a lot guys I haven't read her autobiography... I was living at home until very recently and shared an Amazon account with my Dad, as strange as it seems I just didn't want to have to discuss why I was buying it with him. We only have a german copy of it at home (and I'm not fluent enough to read it).

I've purchased it from Amazon a few days ago, so thank you

I'll have a look into all those links posted as well

[A_Martin]

I lived with her in Buddha haus from Jan 1992 til sept 1994
Metta Martin

[PeterB]

Tell us more Bhante ?

[jackson]

Hi delilah,
I'm a huge fan of Ayya Khema and have read almost everything of hers published in English (I even have a picture of her on my altar), she's one of my top 5 favourite Buddhist teachers and I'd love to read her German books, but unfortunately meine deutsch ist nicht so gut. Anyway, I don't know if you've looked on YouTube, but she has many videos posted there, including this two part Biography where she talks a little about her family. I can't really remember the exact details because I watched it a while ago, but I'm pretty sure she talks about her husband and their eventual separation. Anyway here it is:
Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRnxL_A2zmA&feature=related
Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cUMSS5wCN8
With Metta,
Jackson

[A_Martin]

Tell us more Bhante ?

Correction of failing memory, it was dec 1992 til sept 1994, for oct 1991 til nov 1992 I was living in chithurst and harnham monasteries. The rest of the time til feb 1995 in sharpham community, Devon England
In that time in Buddhahaus her husband (Gerd) was visiting us for a week and her daughter (if I remember correctly) with her family as well. In that time she was operated in Kempten on removing the fistbig cancer-lump in her breast. I was accompanying her on her retreat to Gaia house. She was talking a bit about her family, her husband and her upbringing.
Peter
what do you want to know? (some questions I will answer only privately)
Metta
Martin

[PeterB]

I had no specific questions Bhante...just interested in any anecdotes etc...I often find finding out about the lives of dedicated practitioners inspiring.

[A_Martin]

I had no specific questions Bhante...just interested in any anecdotes etc...I often find finding out about the lives of dedicated practitioners inspiring.

Peter,
I didn't read her biography, so I don't know what I should tell or can. But One Day in November she asked us to open the windows of the meditation hall - it was quite chilly - and she mentioned the reason for doing so. The evening before devas came to her and asked her if it was ok with her to listen to her talks on Dhamma. With the windows closed they felt they were intruding. So she gave them permission to listen to her talks by opening the windows.
She was a very inspiring person, when I met her the first time in 1991 at a course she gave at Gaia house she invited me to stay with her at Buddha Haus. But before I had promised my first teacher Vimalo that I would stay at the English sangha for a year. After that I went to live at Buddha Haus. But living with her was different, than meeting her as a teacher. There was a private side of her and one as a teacher. I found that true with a lot of the spiritual teachers I met in Totnes at that time. Like Christopher Titmus, Christina Feldman, Tich Nathan, Steven and Martine Batchelor and so on. It was quite different when you met them in person or when they were "on stage".
Comparing it with the Venerable Teacher I have(had) now for 15 years, it certainly is very different, for he does not have a private side. If you come and see him privately or when he is in action, there is no difference whatsoever.
...
Metta Martin

[PeterB]

Thank you for that Bhante...Who is your teacher if I might ask ?

[A_Martin]

Thank you for that Bhante...Who is your teacher if I might ask ?

My present teacher is (was for he died on 30 jan 2011) Than Acharn Maha Bua.
Metta Martin