"We all have the buddha-nature, the unconditioned nature of mind with non-conceptual thoughts. Meditation enables us to directly recognize the buddha-nature. When we have a direct experience of our buddha-nature, there is no ego. Instead of feeling a sense of separateness, we have this very deep sense of our interconnections with all living beings... When we are in that state continually--24 hours a day, waking or sleeping--then we are enlightened." This definition was given by Tenzin Palmo, the legendary British Buddhist nun who spent twelve years alone in a cave in northern India to cultivate her spirituality by meditating twelve hours per day.

"I feel you are an enlightened one," I said.

"No, I haven't begun yet, sorry!" the 58-year-old nun humbly replied.

This remarkable spiritual cultivator, invited by a local Buddhist organization to Taipei for the International Conference on Religious Cooperation, sat with me in a suite at the Grand Hotel on the cloudy morning of September 25th.

Before coming to interview her, I had already read her Three Teachings and the first few chapters of her biography, Cave in the Snow, written by Vicki Mackenzie. The more I read the fascinating anecdotes about Tenzin, the more I realized how much she and Master Cheng Yen, the founder of Tzu Chi, have in common.

When they began their cultivation, they retreated to a cave and a wooden hut, respectively. Master Cheng Yen was challenged and motivated by three Catholic nuns to leave the hut and engage in social service. Tenzin was inspired by a Catholic priest when she was trying to decide whether to stay in seclusion or engage in the hard work of setting up a nunnery in northern India for nuns who are deprived of the chance to receive the Buddha's teachings. The priest wisely pointed out that a piece of rough wood could only be made beautiful if it was polished, not with a piece of silk or a feather, but with sandpaper. After listening to this wise instruction, Tenzin determined to unflinchingly shoulder the hard task of raising funds for the nunnery.

The teachings of these two great nuns are surprisingly similar. Master Cheng Yen promotes the idea of humanizing Buddhism and bringing the bodhisattvas into our world by practicing what we have learned from the Buddha's teachings in our daily conduct. Tenzin states that meditation is not just a matter of sitting in a cave for twelve years--it is everyday life. "I like the idea of social involvement, of going out there to help others, rather than just sitting on the meditation cushion and thinking about it."

Both women stress the concept of impermanence. "Nobody knows which will come first, tomorrow or death," said the Master. Tenzin asked, "Which comes next--our next breath or death?"

The Master often talks about Great Love, an undefiled love given to others without asking for anything in return, whereas Tenzin promotes unconditional altruism. The Chinese nun reminds her followers to be mindful in everything they do, while the British one emphasizes the importance of being fully aware of what one is doing at every moment.

I asked Tenzin what she would do if she had a chance to do it all over again. Would she still make her retreat in that cave? "Certainly, that was the best of it," she replied with a smile. After pondering for a while, she continued, "I would ask my lama more questions. I didn't realize he would go so soon." I could see tears glistening in her blue eyes. Khamtrul Rinpoche, Tenzin's lama, died of diabetes at the age of forty-nine. He had been ill for only an hour before his death, which was why so many of his followers, including Tenzin, were taken aback by his demise. Apparently, her relationship with her guru was so intimate and profound that it has not dissipated even since he attained nirvana. "It is a relationship that has been going on for lifetime after lifetime," commented the British nun. "Your real lama is committed to you until enlightenment is reached. What could be more intimate than that?"

I could somehow understand why thousands of Tzu Chi commissioners love Master Cheng Yen so much.