What Are You Waiting For?: a conversation about Buddhism between two old friends
Reconnect with two old friends as they delve into the heart of Buddhism in What Are You Waiting For?. Journalist Irmgard Kirchner and Buddhist nun Santacitta Bhikkhuni reunite after decades, sparking intimate and insightful conversations about life, spirituality, and the modern world. Irmgard’s curious, often skeptical questions meet Santacitta’s profound wisdom and personal journey, from a searching youth to co-founding a monastery for women.
Through their engaging dialogue, they explore core Buddhist concepts like the Middle Way, emptiness, mindfulness, and karma within the context of everyday challenges. This book offers an accessible and relatable entry point into Buddhist philosophy for beginners and those already familiar with the teachings. It’s a testament to the enduring power of friendship and the relevance of Buddhist wisdom today.
Translated from German by Gwen Clayton with a foreword by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Irmgard Kirchner was born in 1959 in Innsbruck in Tyrol. After leaving school moved to Vienna in order to study cultural and social anthropology and psychology. She turned the skills that she had learned - research, speak to people, listen, and ask relevant questions - into a lifelong career in journalism. Following more than twenty years as editor in chief of Südwind, a magazine devoted to international politics, culture, and development, she still devotes herself to writing today, except when she is watching insects and birds in the wildlife haven that is her garden.
Santacitta Bhikkhuni, born Sylvia Helga Bayer in Austria, grew up in a hotel environment and traveled extensively with her family. After hotel management school and studies in cultural anthropology in Vienna, she worked in theatre before her travels to Thailand sparked an interest in Buddhism. Following personal losses, she visited Wat Suan Mokkh and learned to meditate. After a brief marriage and further experiences in Thailand, she moved to Amaravati monastery in England, where she became an anagarika and later a siladhara named Santacitta. Becoming increasingly aware of gender limitations in the monastery, she later traveled and explored Tibetan Buddhism. In 2011, she and a fellow nun left the Ajahn Chah lineage and were ordained as bhikkhunis. They established Aloka Vihara forest monastery in California, later founding the Aloka Earth Room, focusing on Dharma, ecology, and art.
Gwen Clayton was born in 1971 in Cambridge, England. She grew up in Canton Thurgau and Cambridge, and spent many happy childhood holidays visiting her German grandparents in the Black Forest. She read Japanese studies at the University of Oxford, then trained as a solicitor, working in commercial law firms in London, Tokyo, and Zurich. She has been active as a professional translator for the last sixteen years, specializing in law and the humanities.
PRAISE
"What Are You Waiting For? is my top recommendation for newcomers to Buddhism. With clear explanations of core Buddhist principles and a concise account of the movement for full ordination for women – woven through Santacitta Bhikkhuni’s striking and relatable personal journey – this book is engaging, informative, and inspiring."
—Santussika Bhikkhuni, founder of Karuna Buddhist Vihara
"Ayya Santacitta’s new book is a delight. She presents her biography in the form of a dialogue with an old friend. In the process, she spotlights the key moments that illuminate her personal spiritual journey and answers foundational Dharma questions for the readers. We see how her life traverses tradition and innovation, leaving a legacy for others to follow. Her genuine Dharma commitment and wisdom shine through on every page."
—Khenmo Konchog Drolma, Abbess of Vajra Dakini Nunnery
"In this book, my dear friend Santacitta Bhikkhuni shares a tender, fearless account of her Dharma journey. With clarity and compassion, and the rare perspective of a bhikkhuni, she brings ancient wisdom into the challenges of our time. A moving, honest offering for anyone seeking depth, meaning, and liberation."
—Thanissara, Dharma teacher and author of Time to Stand Up: An Engaged Buddhist Manifesto for Our Earth
"A heartfelt dialogue where deep friendship becomes the channel for timeless Buddhist insight."
—Dame Christiana Figueres, Former Head of UN Climate Change Convention
"This thoroughly enjoyable book offers a delightful mixture of straightforward yet profound Buddhist teaching, woven through the inspiring journey of a pioneering Buddhist nun. Reflections on transformative spiritual wisdom and a courageous engagement with the intersecting issues of patriarchy and climate change are offered in a way that is accessible to beginners, and rewarding for those steeped in these themes."
—Yanai Postelnik, senior Insight Meditation teacher and climate activist
"It is always heartening to hear of the Buddhist path discussed through the deep relationship of a long friendship. Venerable Santacitta and Irmgard offer us a living example of kalyana mitra, beneficial spiritual friendship."
—Maura Sills, founder of the Karuna Institute and Honorary Fellow of the UK Council for Psychotherapy
"Weaving together Santacitta Bhikkhuni’s fascinating life story with easy-to-read descriptions of the basics of Buddhism, this book reveals her adventurous spirit, fearless moral courage, and deep spiritual commitment. From embarking on a round-the-world trip on the spur of the moment, to being one of the first women to ordain as a Theravada nun in the US, to creating a unique temple-space integrating Dhamma, ecology, and art, Santacitta Bhikkhuni has consistently challenged outdated social and religious norms."
—Kate Davies D.Phil., Board Chair and President of the Saranaloka Foundation, author Intrinsic Hope: Living Courageously in Troubled Times
"Ayya Santacitta has given us a Dharma book of great breadth and depth. Her book offers us the fresh experience of hearing the thinking processes of a nun who has devoted her life to Buddhist practice. Through conversations with an old friend, she speaks with a voice that is authoritative from her many years of study and practice as a nun, yet also intimate with personal details. The book covers a wide range of subjects, from basic Buddhist teachings on the four foundations of mindfulness, the seven factors of awakening, and the Four Noble Truths, all the way to more esoteric subjects such as rebirth and merit-making, and current events regarding ordination of bhikkhunis and the climate crisis. Relevant both for beginning practitioners and those with lots of experience, engrossing and engaging, this book is a pleasure to read!"
—Rebecca Bradshaw, author of Down to Earth Dharma: Insight Meditation to Awaken the Heart and Guiding Teacher Emeritus of the Insight Meditation Society
"In this book, Ayya Santacitta imparts decades of accumulated spiritual wisdom to inspire and orient us to a better way of living. Ayya shares her fascinating story while elucidating deep Buddhist concepts in an engaging, down-to-earth, conversational style with her lifelong journalist friend. Whether renouncing her bohemian life to become a Buddhist nun, leaving her patriarchal community to be a female pioneer in the Buddhist world, or her straight talk about the climate crisis, Ayya’s life is an uncompromising, courageous expression of living in truth. By her example, she invites the reader to use teachings to likewise find courage and fearlessness to discover peace within while making this a better world. A real gem of a book!"
—James Baraz, co-author of Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to Happiness, co-founding teacher Spirit Rock Meditation Center
"The brilliance of this spiritual conversation is in the relationship of the authors, in how they describe the relational nature of the teachings, and in how it is possible to contribute to reconditioning the unconsciousness of supremacy as a spiritual practice and endeavour, be it for patriarchy or other oppressions. The title of the book indicates such a beautifully posed question because the recorded dialogue provides such wide-open doors for all of us to journey into and explore, for our collective awakening and greater freedom."
—Larry Yang, author of Awakening Together: The Spiritual Practice of Inclusivity and Community
"This intimate and refreshingly honest dialogue between two lifelong friends offers a rare window into the living heart of contemporary Buddhism. With warmth, courage, and deep insight, Santacitta Bhikkhuni shares her remarkable journey – one that bridges East and West, tradition and innovation, contemplation and activism. This book speaks to anyone seeking a path of meaning and liberation amidst the complexity of modern life. A wise and inspiring companion for those drawn to the Dharma, especially in these urgent and tender times."
—Mark Coleman, Dharma teacher, author, founder of Awake in the Wild