banian. Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, on August 26, 1910. Her family was Catholic, though the majority of Albanians in Macedonia were Muslim. She was raised in a middle-class working family. Her mother and father, Drana and Kol, provided very well for their three children. It was said that she “never lacked for nothing.” Her father was a contractor with a successful business and a politically active member of society. He, unfortunately died when she was twelve and the direction of her life changed significantly. In Buddhism, his death is an example of Anicca- one of the three characteristics of existence, which means that all existence is impermanent and everything is subject to continuous change. While her father had been alive, Teresa’s household was primarily political in atmosphere. Described by many as a patriot, Kol was intensely involved in politics and held a seat on the County Council. After his death the atmosphere of the house changed and with it followed the direction of Teresa’s development. Drana, her mother, had become Teresa’s primary role model and laid the roots of religious devotion that defined Teresa’s later life. Drana was an intensely religious woman, who used the church to instill the virtues of charity to her young daughter. Her brother explains “Where our house had been a hotbed of political discussions while my father lived, after his death it was more of a religious center. . . Our mother was unusually religious.” (26 Serrou) Buddhists would use her father’s death as an event in the cycle of dependant origination, an event that contributes directly to her future path. Teresa’s focus in life changed from politics to the church and she approached this new spiritual and religious growth with enthusiasm. She became very active in her local church, as a parishioner and an outstanding member of the choir. Under the Budhhist law of Dependa...
