old-path-white-clouds-thich-nhat-hanh

The light was instantly extinguished,
submerging all in darkness.
The flame was extinguished,
but suddenly my soul was bright.
My mind was released from all bondage
as the morning star appeared.
When Patacara presented her poem to Sister Mahapajapati, the abbess gave it her deepest praises.
Sister Uppalavanna was another bhikkhuni who came to the Dharma after great suffering, thanks to the efforts of Venerable Moggallana.
She was a woman of uncommon beauty, even with her head shaved. She was most diligent in her practice and one of Abbess Pajapati’s
finest assistants.
Venerable Moggallana met Sister Uppalavanna one day while he was walking past a city park. She was standing there, a flower of the
night. She was known to men as Beautiful Lotus. Indeed, her beauty surpassed that of even the most lovely lotus flower. But Venerable
Moggallana saw the suffering in her eyes. He knew she hid many sorrows in her heart. He stopped and said, “You are indeed beautiful and
dressed in the finest garments, but I can see that you are filled with suffering and confusion. Your burden is heavy, and yet you continue to
pursue a path that leads to even more darkness.”
Uppalavanna was taken aback by Moggallana’s ability to read her innermost thoughts. But she pretended to be nonplussed and retorted,
“Perhaps what you say is true, but this is the only path I have.”
Moggallana said, “Why be so pessimistic? No matter what your past has been like, you can transform yourself and create a better future.
Soiled clothes can be washed. A heart burdened by confusion and weariness can be purified by the waters of enlightenment. The Buddha
teaches that everyone has the capacity to awaken and find peace and joy.”
Uppalavanna began to weep. “But my life is filled with sinful deeds and injustices. I’m afraid that even the Buddha cannot help me.”
Moggallana comforted her. “Don’t worry. Please share your story with me.”
Uppalavanna told Venerable Moggallana that she was the daughter of a wealthy family. She was married at sixteen. Soon after her
husband’s father died, her mother-in-law began sleeping with her own son, Uppalavanna’s husband. Uppalavanna gave birth to a daughter,
but unable to endure the incestuous relationship of her husband and mother-in-law, she ran away, leaving her daughter behind. Some years
later, she met and married a merchant. When she learned he was secretly keeping a concubine, she investigated until she uncovered the
horrible truth that his concubine was the very daughter she had abandoned years earlier.
Her pain and bitterness were so great that she began to hate all the world. She no longer loved or trusted anyone. She became a
courtesan and sought money, jewels, and material pleasures for solace. She confessed she had even been thinking of trying to seduce
Moggallana when he passed by as a means to expose humanity’s false virtue.
Beautiful Lotus covered her face and sobbed. Moggallana let her cry to ease her pain. Then he spoke to her about the Dharma and took
her to meet the Buddha. The Buddha spoke words of comfort to her and asked if she would like to study with the bhikkhunis under the
guidance of Abbess Gotami. She was ordained and after only four years of diligent practice was considered by all as an exceptional
example for everyone.