How Wonderful is This Body: Enlightenment of a Snake Princess

Speaker: Venerable Myōgen Bhikkhu (Online, joining from Taiwan)

Mon 30 June | 7.00-8.30pm AESTLocation: In person at Western Sydney University (74 Rickard Rd, Bankstown City Campus), Room 1.4.34 on level 4 or
Online (Zoom link below)
Cost: Free

The Lotus Sutra’s story of the Naga Princess—an 8yo snake-girl who attains Buddhahood in an instant—challenges our assumptions about enlightenment: Who is worthy? What is possible? And how does transformation really happen? Let's explore her radical story, against the disbelief of others, and what it can mean for personal and social transformation.

About the Speaker: Venerable Myōgen Bhikkhu 妙眼釋 (they/them) is a monastic trained in both the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya lineage as a bhikshu (Sanskrit) / bhikkhu (Pali) (Taiwan, 2024) and in the Tendai tradition as a priest (USA, 2013). Myōgen completed Tendai esoteric training and exam in Chiba, Japan. Myōgen became Buddhist in their early teens through encountering the story of Shakyamuni Buddha and an early interest in questions on suffering, sickness, and death threaded by family history, personal illness, a queer identity, and an early empathy for animal life. Through volunteering with diverse groups and traditions, visiting different communities and teachers, they developed a pan-Buddhist perspective. Practicing the Lotus Sutra, brought a deep faith in the One Vehicle (Ekayana) perspective and the integration of methods as taught by their teachers who emphasized direct and personal experiences.

Myōgen is currently living in Taiwan with Unlimited Lights Academy (ULA) helping to coordinate ENG-CH programming and promote cross cultural exchanges and Buddhist retreats. www.wct.org.tw
They hold a Master of Divinity (SKSM, Berkeley, USA) focused on multi-religious & counter-oppressive theology for just communities. Additionally Myōgen holds a Master & Doctorate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACTCM, San Francisco, USA) previously working in TCM oncology support. Future plans include an international vihara in Taiwan for multi-cultural and collective practice. www.facebook.com/tendaidojo
Hybrid event: Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in an interactive session in person at the Metta Centre or online by clicking on this link to access the session: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83506489824?pwd=cmpNQ1ljSmFVYURLWVN1dWllYUN1dz09 Alternatively, you can dial in from your telephone (call charges apply): +61 2 8015 6011 | Meeting ID: 835 0648 9824| Passcode: 718905