
The Revolutionary Life of Freda Bedi
British Feminist, Indian Nationalist, Buddhist Nun
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Narrated by:
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Vicki Mackenzie
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Maggie Ollerenshaw
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By:
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Vicki Mackenzie
About this listen
A fascinating biography of Freda Bedi, an English woman who broke all the rules of gender, race, and religious background to become both a revolutionary in the fight for Indian independence and then a Buddhist icon.
She was the first Western woman to become a Tibetan Buddhist nun - but that pioneering ordination was really just one in a life full of revolutionary acts. Freda Bedi (1911-1977) broke the rules of gender, race, and religion - in many cases before it was thought that the rules were ready to be challenged. She was at various times a force in the struggle for Indian independence, a spiritual seeker, a scholar, a professor, a journalist, an author, a social worker, a wife, and mother of four children. She counted among her friends, colleagues, and teachers Mohandas Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and many others. She was a woman of spiritual focus and compassion who was also not without contradictions. Vicki Mackenzie gives a nuanced view of Bedi and of the forces that shaped and motivated this complex and compelling figure.
Cover image courtesy of Bedi Family Archives
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What listeners say about The Revolutionary Life of Freda Bedi
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Janis Wabnitz
- 10-22-19
An outstanding read! My horizons were expanded.
I loved the different perspectives from family, friends and author on Freda's embracement of Buddhism.
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