Bhikkhuni Thich Nu Dieu Khong was born Ho thi Hanh at An Truyen Village, Phu Vang District, Thua Thien-Hue Province in 1905. She was the youngest child of Ho Dac Trung and Chau thi Luong. Her father was a very famous subject of high rank serving near the end of the Nguyen Dynasty. Because of her noble family origin, and because of the transition from the old Vietnamese culture into the new Western culture of her time, she grew up and was educated under the influence of both Eastern and Western cultures. Her father wanted her to study abroad, but she declined. Her aspiration was about how to strengthen the Oriental tradition and to empower women in her homeland. With such a high aspiration,she found family life not appropriate for her, and thus had asked her parents many times to allow her to become a nun. However, her parents would not agree, but wanted her to get married. In addition, in the early 1920s there were no convents for training nuns in Hue yet.
In 1928 she got married to Cao Xuan Xang, whose wife had passed away, leaving him several young children to raise while he himself was not in good health. After their son was born, Cao's illness got worse, and soon he died, too. The young widow arranged with her family to raise the children carefully with good education, then she began to devote herself to Buddhist services.
In 1932 Ho thi Hanh took the ten vows to become a novice under the training of Most Venerable Thich Giac Tien, Abbot of Truc Lam Temple. She did not shave her hair yet, and served as one of the representatives of the Association of An Nam Buddhist Studies, of which she was one of the founders. In 1944 at a solemn ceremony presided by Most Venerable Thich Giac Nhien, the Second Patriarch of the United Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, she took the major vow and became a bhikkhuni.
She started to establish many convents for bhikkhunis in Central and South Vietnam, such as Dieu Duc, Dieu Vien, Khai An, Hong An, Kieu Dam, Dinh Hue, Lien Tri, Lien Hoa, Dong Thuyen, Hong Duc (Hue); Bao Thang (Hoi An); Bao Quang (Da Nang); Tinh Nghiem (Quang Ngai); Dieu Quang (Nha Trang); Tu Nghiem, Duoc Su, Dieu Giac,Dieu Trang, Dieu Phap, Kieu Dam (in the South).... She also contributed to the establishment of the first Buddhist university in South Vietnam, Van Hanh University. Besides building convents and schools, she was one of the key founders of Lien Hoa Publishing House in 1952 which published Lien Hoa Buddhist Monthly Magazine, one Buddhist magazine which lasted the longest in Vietnam. Since 1964 she had established several orphanages such as Tay Loc (Hue) and several others in cities as well as in the countrysides. In addition to the above mentioned activities, she translated, and contributed articles to such Buddhist magazines and journals as Vien Am, Giac Ngo, Tu Quang, Lien Hoa....Her translations included many treatises by Nagarjuna, and others (Yogacara Buddhist treatises, Mūlamadhyamaka-kārikā/Fundamental Verses of the Middle Way....). She also wrote articles to educate women.
She kept learning Buddhism from other Buddhist sects, and once in a while went to Mountain Chau E, and spent time practicing Buddhism in solitude at Khai An Temple. Her great vow was to continue her work as a nun in order to teach the Dhamma to women in the Samsara. She had the heart of immense compassion, generous and tolerant to all sentient beings, which was usually compared to the vast sky net of love covering all the world.
Although born into a noble family, she herself led a very simple life, humble and respectful to everyone, and always generously giving away whatever she could share. Even when she was about to demise, she chose to stay in a small uncomfortable room at Hong An, while her heart was on many education and training plans for Buddhism in Vietnam and for future generations of nuns and monks.
In 1978 after a serious illness, her heart stopped, and nuns and monks were surrounding her to chant Buddhas' names. One nun could not help crying out her sorrow for such a great loss of Vietnam Buddhism, suddenly, the supposedly demised Most Venerable Thich Nu Dieu Khong woke up and revived to continue her work as a vowed bhikkhuni Boddhisattva. Under good medical care of devoted Buddhist physicians and nurses, and many others, she lived on with her mind in good condition until 2am August 22, 1997 when she calmly passed away at the age of 93, and after 53 years as a devoted bhikkhuni.
Born into a rich and noble family but leading a simple life as a nun; having a deep and broad knowledge, but never knowledge-attached; composing poems yet not a poet; writing profusely but not a writer; researching but not a scholar; doing charitable works but not a philanthropist; teaching the Dhamma, but not a preacher; sitting in meditation but not a zen master; building many temples, but not an abbess of any; keeping the precepts but never attached to precepts rigidly; and helping disciples but never attached to any disciples; living in the Samsara but never leaving her inner Calmness; while in her Calmness, never forgetting people in the Samsara....
Her life was one of serving in multi-forms and measures, but leaving no trace. It was extremely difficult for her disciples to describe in words her heart towards the Dhamma and the training of future generations of nuns. As her religious name implies, she had appeared in the world and disappeared, leaving no trace, but as her vow has made, she will reappear in the Samsara to help others in her own flexible form and means.
Source:
http://www.quangduc.com/Danhnhanvn/75subadieukhong01.html#PH%E1%BA%A6N%20M%E1%BB%98T
