BOOK REVIEW
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CHOOSING SIMPLICITY: A Commentary on the Bhikshuni
Pratimoksha
by Venerable Bhikshuni Master Wu Yin,
trans. by Bhikshuni Jendy, ed. by Bhikshuni Thubten
Chodron
#CHSI 15.95
338 pp.
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Review
from Erik Pema Kunsang, Rangjung Yeshe
Publications:
It's been
a long, hot day. And it feels even longer as once more I chase the
mirages of my life's petty aims. I don't mean to find myself yet
again |
 | in a
sincere trot or gallop after pointless pursuits - I just can't help it.
Habits die hard. It's time to make up my mind; it's time to do myself a favor;
it's time to take the practical step of choosing simplicity.
The Buddhist Vinaya, teachings of how to take hold of yourself in a very
pragmatic and realistic way, is in essence a matter of timeless value.
Simple living frees you up to pursue real aims, getting down to the basics of
life and seeing clearly how everything is - both seemingly and really. The
Buddha didn't invent this; it's simple a fact.
As the sun of the Buddha's teachings rises over the western hemisphere, its
light touches all aspects of human life. These days there is a growing sense of
wanting to relate to the Dharma more fully and personally, even to the extent of
the chief commitment: taking the robes of a full-time Buddhist practitioner.
This is where Wu Yin's Choosing Simplicity is of immense usefulness. In Thubten
Chodron's excellent translation, the reader is guided through the entire scope
of a female monastic, through all the points of do and do not.
The Buddha's Vinaya teachings are applicable to all levels of practitioners.
It matters little whether one observes the precepts to curb personal confusion
or to better be able to benefit others - Choosing Simplicity puts forth the
rules of the game in a most readable and personable style. I highly recommend it
to both men and women.
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