Born in Berlin in 1923 to Jewish parents, Ayya Khema was educated in Scotland and China and later emigrated to the United States. The author of twenty-five books, she was ordained as a nun in Sri Lanka in 1979 and established several Buddhist centers, including Wat Buddha Dhamma in Australia, Parapuddua Nun's Island in Sri Lanka, and Buddha Haus in Germany. In 1987 she coordinated the first-ever International Conference of Buddhist Nuns. She passed away in 1997.
Sandy Boucher is the author of six books, including Turning the Wheel: American Women Creating the New Buddhism. She has traveled extensively in Asia, and lived for a short time as a nun on the Nuns Island in Sri Lanka founded and directed by Ayya Khema. Boucher is active in both feminism and Buddhism, and has worked with cancer patients since her 1995/96 bout with cancer. She lives in Oakland, California.