Much has been written about taking vows, but less is written about disrobing and the shock of re-entering lay life. In her work now, as a Dharma teacher for educators, activists, young people, and people of color, she strives to create welcoming and equitable lay communities. Because she has balanced a desire for family with the desire for personal transformation, Lingo has a story that is familiar for many women around the world. Her story illuminates how Buddhist practice takes many forms, even within a single person’s life. Having lived as both a layperson and a monastic, Lingo knows what it means to seek out and create community. While she had been happy as a monastic, she was ready to embrace a different role at a different stage of life. “It is a lot harder to keep up, and to generate from inside of me the mindful structure and energy that used to be surrounding and containing me.” She left Plum Village for personal reasons: she wanted to start a family. Starting over at age 40 without savings, a job, or a home wasn’t easy. When we spoke earlier this month, it had been just over a year since she disrobed. After nearly 15 happy years as a monastic she recently disrobed, only to find that the transition left her again seeking community in new and unexpected ways. Her search took her around the world to Plum Village, Thich Nhat Hanh’s mindfulness community in France. A former Zen Buddhist nun, Lingo is now a lay teacher living in Washington, DC. “Since I was 14, I’ve been looking for community,” says Kaira Jewel Lingo.
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