The provincial upbringing that characterized Maria Alejandra Amaya V’s childhood in the Colombian countryside outside of Bogotá could scarcely have predicted her later interest in Vipassana meditation in the tradition of S.N. Goenka, nor her eventual life in robes of a Buddhist nun at Pa Auk Monastery. “Sometimes I think [my story] is like a very good romantic story in Theravada Buddhism,” notes Sayalay Khanticari, as she is now known by her Paḷi nun name. “[Yet], at that time I didn’t see what was happening.” She tells how a backpacking trip around South America with her husband led to a growing interest in meditation, landing them at Dhamma Giri in Mumbai, India before an eventual stay in Myanmar. There they enjoyed extended stays at Panditarama and the International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University (ITMBU), before her eventual ordination. Sayalay Khanticari’s journey through continent and spirituality is a fascinating one, and inspiring for any meditator on the path.

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