A fascinating biography of Freda Bedi, an English woman who broke all
the rules of gender, race, and religious background to become both a
revolutionary in the fight for Indian independence and then a Buddhist
icon.
She was the first Western woman to become a
Tibetan Buddhist nun—but that pioneering ordination was really just one
in a life full of revolutionary acts. Freda Bedi (1911–1977) broke the
rules of gender, race, and religion—in many cases before it was thought
that the rules were ready to be challenged. She was at various times a
force in the struggle for Indian independence, spiritual seeker,
scholar, professor, journalist, author, social worker, wife, and mother
of four children. She counted among her friends, colleagues, and
teachers Mohandas Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, the Dalai
Lama, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and many others. She was a woman of
spiritual focus and compassion who was also not without contradictions.
Vicki Mackenzie gives a nuanced view of Bedi and of the forces that
shaped and motivated this complex and compelling figure.
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