“Joanna Macy was in the first group of Westerners who not only studied Buddhism but practiced Buddhism. Early on we had good scholars on Buddhism. People like Rhys Davids and his wife, but they were not practicing.
You were really practicing the teaching of the Buddha. Of course when she embraced Buddhism she looked to the East. She thought the East would give her a good solution. If I may say so, she used to admire the Sangha movement and critically I see her as a person who had strengths and weaknesses. If you are Buddhist, you must see things as they really are. But the good thing about her, she listened to me and she changed her mind and she became serious about everything and became more and more critical.
Although she’s three years older than me. I think she was much stronger than me physically, mentally and spiritually. She wrote many books. Most of her books were selling very well. I have been admiring her so much. I really miss her. But I hear that she passed away peacefully. I’m sure she will now be dwelling happily in the western paradise, with Amitābha Buddha”
Sulak Sivaraksa 22nd July 2025
Joanna Rogers Macy (May 2, 1929 – July 19, 2025) was an American environmental activist, author and scholar of Buddhism
Watch the video:
