NEAR AWAKENING and The Value of Life

"He asked if I was all settled in; although he meant settled into my accommodations, I took it to also mean settled in to meditate-ready to settle the mind into concentration. Always look for the double meaning." As a young adult, Quinn McDonald sought to understand the nature of truth: is there a singular universal truth, or does truth vary from person to person? Unsatisfied with the lack of answers in her hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, she ventured to Thailand to seek enlightenment as a Buddhist nun. Over the next thirteen years, she would receive teachings from the most prolific leaders in Buddhism and journey across the world on her path to near awakening. As she studies and meditates, she must overcome obstacles both mental and physical: from splitting with her partner when they ordain at separate monasteries to having an infection cut out of her with no anaesthetic, Quinn's path to the truth is a long and arduous one. But through the friends she makes and the teachers she connects with, she learns to decipher the teachings of the Buddha and apply them to her life, bringing her closer to understanding the nature of the world.