About the Book

Readers have in hand the anthology, Sharing the Dharma - Vietnamese Buddhist Nuns in the United States, collected by Dr. Bhikkhunī Thích Nữ Giới Hương, currently the abbess of Hương Sen Temple in the United States.

According to the Most Venerable Bhikkhunī Thích Nữ Nguyên Thanh (abbess of An Lạc Temple in San Jose, California, USA), "The book, Sharing the Dharma - Vietnamese Buddhist Nuns in the United States is a first step and positively contributes a vivid picture of Vietnamese nuns in the United States. The anthology recreates the history of inheritance and continues the Buddha-Dharma network of female Buddhist ranks in the new era - the era of the modern and committed twenty-first century."

Or, as the Most Venerable Bhikkhunī Thích Nữ Giác Hương (abbess of Vạn Hạnh Pagoda in Seattle, Washington) confided, "As a senior nun, to show empathy and to encourage young nuns, I ventured to accept an invitation to write an introduction for Sharing the Dharma - Vietnamese Buddhist Nuns in the United States. The book is like a silver thread connecting the nuns living in the United States, joining together in the Buddhas, fulfilling the duties of the Buddha's daughters who spend their whole lives in spiritual practice with a simple pure life, and constantly cultivate thoughts, sublimate to the peak of wisdom, bring truth in the golden teachings of the Buddha directing people to truth - goodness - beauty. But I also know that in order to fulfill the mission of a Tathagata messenger, the Buddha's daughters are subjected to many challenges and difficulties."

Yes, it is true. Reading carefully seventy articles (with 460 attached documentary photos) of over sixty members of the Vietnamese nuns community in the US who daily overcome difficulties - different language, customs, lifestyle. Adapting to the culture of immigrants with indigenous residents, the daughters of the Buddha constantly promote the Buddha-Dharma. As the author Dr. Bhikkhunī Thích Nữ Giới Hương sincerely expresses in the preface, "The flow of nuns from the Budddha's time has existed, propagated and continued the Dharma through many generations." The collection is a highlight that records the relationship of the temples that maintain and develop Vietnamese Buddhist traditional practices. These communities are now in many US states in this twenty-first century (since 1975) and they share a devoted belief, a legitimate pride, and a worthy honor. Their experiences should be seen as a handbook for prospective nuns."

Our Hồng Đức Publishing House understands and sympathizes with what the three organizers, Venerable Bhikkhunī Thích Nữ Nguyên Thanh, Venerable Bhikkhunī Thích Nữ Giác Hương, and Dr. Bhikkhunī Thích Nữ Giới Hương are providing. They wish to inform the public about the Dharma treasures offered by the Vietnamese Nun Sangha in the United States, what they have achieved and need to do next on the path of sharing Buddhism. This anthology serves as a history of the nuns and is crucial to maintaining, preserving and developing the Vietnamese Buddhist cultural identity in the United States.

Hồng Đức Publisher