Journals of Black Buddhist Nun Faith Adiele

Faith Adiele (2005. 4.5 out of 5 stars, 42 ratings); Dhr Seven, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Meeting Faith: The Forest Journals of a Black Buddhist Nun (amazon.com)

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Mmm, Pop Tarts. Yummy.

Meeting Faith: The Forest Journals of a Black Buddhist Nun is a wry account of the road from Harvard scholarship student to Theravada Buddhist ordination as Northern Thailand's first Black Buddhist nun.

Reluctantly leaving behind Pop Tarts and American pop culture to battle rumors of flying rats, hissing cobras, forest fires, and decomposing corpses taken as meditation subjects, author Faith Adiele shows readers in this personal narrative, with accompanying journal entries, that the path to faith (saddha, confidence) is full of conflicts for even the most devout.

Residing in a Thai forest temple, she endured 19-hour daily meditations, living on a single daily meal, and days without speaking.

Internally Faith Adiele battled loneliness, fear, hunger, sexual desires, resistance to the Buddhist worldview, and her own rebellious Western ego.

Adiele demystifies Eastern Philosophy and demonstrates the value of developing any practice ― Buddhist or otherwise. This "unlikely, bedraggled nun" moves grudgingly into faith, learning to meditate for 72 hours at a stretch.

Her witty, defiant twist on the standard coming-of-age tale suggests that we each hold the key to overcoming

• anger
• fear
• addiction
• accepting family
• redefining success.

It's possible to re-create community and a high quality of life in today's world. 10 illustrations. More

• Website: adiele.com
• Twitter: @meetingfaith
• Instagram: @meetingfaith
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