Emanuela, the author
The Author
Emanuela Cooper (Maiden Name: Taboga) was born in Treviso, Italy on 18th November 1953. She studied foreign languages in Venice and Political Science at the University of Padua. Following a difficult time in her life, she made her first visit to India in 1978, where she 'rediscovered' herself and met her soul mate, Richard. Within the year they were married.
In the following six years, they travelled extensively throughout India and spent longer periods of time in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh and near the beaches of Goa.
In 1983 they moved to England, settling in Nottingham until 2006. They are currently based in Ibiza, with frequent trips to London, especially since they became grandparents to Joya Hope, born in 2019.
Since 1991 Emanuela has been practicing Buddhism and is a member of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a lay Buddhist movement for the realization of peace through culture and education.
Emanuela Cooper (Maiden Name: Taboga) was born in Treviso, Italy on 18th November 1953. She studied foreign languages in Venice and Political Science at the University of Padua. Following a difficult time in her life, she made her first visit to India in 1978, where she 'rediscovered' herself and met her soul mate, Richard. Within the year they were married.
In the following six years, they travelled extensively throughout India and spent longer periods of time in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh and near the beaches of Goa.
In 1983 they moved to England, settling in Nottingham until 2006. They are currently based in Ibiza, with frequent trips to London, especially since they became grandparents to Joya Hope, born in 2019.
Since 1991 Emanuela has been practicing Buddhism and is a member of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a lay Buddhist movement for the realization of peace through culture and education.
What motivated me to write Made in Nirvana
When I was in my early twenties I used to write every now and then, short stories, small poems, like we all do, I think. Then I went travelling and I wrote long letters home. I always enjoyed writing, but it never went much further than that. I started to practice Buddhism when I was thirty eight years old. I chanted every day and I loved it!
After about one year I felt something big was missing in my life. I had a good marriage, a beautiful daughter, a lot of work, a lovely house, but I felt dissatisfied. Through the chanting I realized that I had no more time for creativity and this is what I was missing.
I started to listen to my heart and it was telling me to write. But write what? I am not a writer.
Still, the heart would not be quiet and every time I sat down to chant it would say the same thing: “Write! Write! Write!”
So I started, very timidly. The first things that came out were about the end of a difficult relationship and my first trip to India when I was twenty four years old. The more I wrote the more it became about India. With so little free time I had to chose between going for a walk once a week or write. Writing won, so every Saturday afternoon I sat at my desk and started to pour my heart onto the page.
I was writing in English and this was much more difficult than I had expected, but all the same, the creative process made me feel incredibly happy. At the end of every Saturday afternoon I had between two and five pages that didn’t exist before; sometimes they were very good while other times I wasn't happy with the result. If I felt that my work wasn't satisfactory, I'd sit down to chant that evening full of doubts about my ability, however my heart would keep shouting the same thing: Write! Because of this I carried on, week after week. The story was progressing and five years later I had a novel.
The small group of people who read it agreed that the descriptions of India and its people were so vivid, they felt as if they were there. Unfortunately I didn’t like the main characters, the story line was weak, my novel lacked lots of things and I was tired of it.
The three hundred page book ended up in a drawer and stayed there for fifteen years. I often thought about it and how to make it more exciting, but I never had the desire to get it out.
In April 2012 I went to a Buddhist women's meeting in London, where we were asked to make a determination for what we wanted to achieve in twenty years’ time. During those ten minutes’ chanting I saw myself as an almost eighty year old lady looking back on my life and I thought: “Shit! Why didn’t I do anything with my book?”
I decided there and then that I wanted to re-write the book; it was going to be my contribution to the creation of a peaceful world through the propagation of this wonderful philosophy that I practice. With the background of India and its people I would weave the main concepts of Buddhism into the story and make it an exciting novel.
From that moment, I had a reason to write a book, a goal bigger than my life, something that would help people become happy, or happier. So, the decision was taken. I thought I could take it easy though... I had lots of time to do it, twenty years!
Shortly after that, a friend lent me a book on the relationship between the writer and her work, which I read with great interest. As soon as I finished it, I started to do a writing exercise recommended by the book: ten minutes of free-flow writing!
This time I wrote in Italian, my mother tongue, finding it much easier and great fun. Within two days I was writing about the Ten Worlds, turning poison into medicine, the treasure tower, karma... I simply couldn't stop. Then I added parts that would make the story-line exciting and fun. Then, the dreaded moment came to read what I had written twenty to fifteen years earlier. To my delight I found it much better than expected and I used all the material about India.
I wrote every day. At times it seemed as if I was simply a medium through which the story was flowing; I couldn't wait to get up in the morning to start writing again. With such enthusiasm, within one year and two weeks I had the first draft of the novel.
I worked on the book throughout my mother’s illness, while I was with her in the hospital for hours on end, the day before she died, the day after she died. The book was my friend, it soothed me, it relaxed me, it made me laugh and gave me great joy.
In December 2013 the first edition of Made in Nirvana in Italian was published as an ebook. The day after I started the translation into English and for over a year I worked closely with my daughter, who had been practicing Buddhism for eight years and whose first language is English. It was a beautiful process and Robyn helped me with the editing and with discussions on Buddhist philosophy.
On 6th January 2015 the English version was published as a paperback and as Kindle version through Amazon, becoming available worldwide.
On the 7th January a new process of revision started on the Italian version and after seven months' work the second edition in Italian was published as paperback and Kindle through Amazon once again. It was the 6th August, the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing and I wanted to make a new positive contribution on such sad day.
While at first I thought this would be the only book I'd ever write, I now know that I will continue to write and to propagate the humanistic philosophy of the Lotus Sutra: deep respect for all life and for our uniqueness as human beings. By putting into practice the values of this amazing philosophy, I am confident people can become happy, or happier still. The next novel is already floating in my head and in 2016 it will begin to take shape.
I understood that, when my project is for a cause greater than myself, I write not simply out of the desire to create a good piece of art, but to contribute to society with something useful and important. Images and words come from a different part of my heart and with this awareness come a tremendous amount of energy, determination and enthusiasm. I feel a sense of mission, as well as much personal joy and satisfaction. I determined that the next ten years of my life will be the most creative and productive of all. I like my mission!
One interesting detail: In October 2012, while my daughter was visiting, we went through some old documents and we found my first English passport. At the time you had to write your profession. I was 25 years old and loved writing, my life was changing in a radical way and I was living in India with my English husband. I remember saying to my sister-in-law: “I'm not sure what to write as a profession!” She asked: “What do you want to do?” My answer was: “I want to write.” “Then put down: Authoress,” she advised. I had forgotten that thirty six years ago, that was my dream.
I can safely say that it is thanks to this practice, which is making me discover my potential, that my dream is now reality and that I am a writer for Buddhism and for world peace.”
When I was in my early twenties I used to write every now and then, short stories, small poems, like we all do, I think. Then I went travelling and I wrote long letters home. I always enjoyed writing, but it never went much further than that. I started to practice Buddhism when I was thirty eight years old. I chanted every day and I loved it!
After about one year I felt something big was missing in my life. I had a good marriage, a beautiful daughter, a lot of work, a lovely house, but I felt dissatisfied. Through the chanting I realized that I had no more time for creativity and this is what I was missing.
I started to listen to my heart and it was telling me to write. But write what? I am not a writer.
Still, the heart would not be quiet and every time I sat down to chant it would say the same thing: “Write! Write! Write!”
So I started, very timidly. The first things that came out were about the end of a difficult relationship and my first trip to India when I was twenty four years old. The more I wrote the more it became about India. With so little free time I had to chose between going for a walk once a week or write. Writing won, so every Saturday afternoon I sat at my desk and started to pour my heart onto the page.
I was writing in English and this was much more difficult than I had expected, but all the same, the creative process made me feel incredibly happy. At the end of every Saturday afternoon I had between two and five pages that didn’t exist before; sometimes they were very good while other times I wasn't happy with the result. If I felt that my work wasn't satisfactory, I'd sit down to chant that evening full of doubts about my ability, however my heart would keep shouting the same thing: Write! Because of this I carried on, week after week. The story was progressing and five years later I had a novel.
The small group of people who read it agreed that the descriptions of India and its people were so vivid, they felt as if they were there. Unfortunately I didn’t like the main characters, the story line was weak, my novel lacked lots of things and I was tired of it.
The three hundred page book ended up in a drawer and stayed there for fifteen years. I often thought about it and how to make it more exciting, but I never had the desire to get it out.
In April 2012 I went to a Buddhist women's meeting in London, where we were asked to make a determination for what we wanted to achieve in twenty years’ time. During those ten minutes’ chanting I saw myself as an almost eighty year old lady looking back on my life and I thought: “Shit! Why didn’t I do anything with my book?”
I decided there and then that I wanted to re-write the book; it was going to be my contribution to the creation of a peaceful world through the propagation of this wonderful philosophy that I practice. With the background of India and its people I would weave the main concepts of Buddhism into the story and make it an exciting novel.
From that moment, I had a reason to write a book, a goal bigger than my life, something that would help people become happy, or happier. So, the decision was taken. I thought I could take it easy though... I had lots of time to do it, twenty years!
Shortly after that, a friend lent me a book on the relationship between the writer and her work, which I read with great interest. As soon as I finished it, I started to do a writing exercise recommended by the book: ten minutes of free-flow writing!
This time I wrote in Italian, my mother tongue, finding it much easier and great fun. Within two days I was writing about the Ten Worlds, turning poison into medicine, the treasure tower, karma... I simply couldn't stop. Then I added parts that would make the story-line exciting and fun. Then, the dreaded moment came to read what I had written twenty to fifteen years earlier. To my delight I found it much better than expected and I used all the material about India.
I wrote every day. At times it seemed as if I was simply a medium through which the story was flowing; I couldn't wait to get up in the morning to start writing again. With such enthusiasm, within one year and two weeks I had the first draft of the novel.
I worked on the book throughout my mother’s illness, while I was with her in the hospital for hours on end, the day before she died, the day after she died. The book was my friend, it soothed me, it relaxed me, it made me laugh and gave me great joy.
In December 2013 the first edition of Made in Nirvana in Italian was published as an ebook. The day after I started the translation into English and for over a year I worked closely with my daughter, who had been practicing Buddhism for eight years and whose first language is English. It was a beautiful process and Robyn helped me with the editing and with discussions on Buddhist philosophy.
On 6th January 2015 the English version was published as a paperback and as Kindle version through Amazon, becoming available worldwide.
On the 7th January a new process of revision started on the Italian version and after seven months' work the second edition in Italian was published as paperback and Kindle through Amazon once again. It was the 6th August, the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing and I wanted to make a new positive contribution on such sad day.
While at first I thought this would be the only book I'd ever write, I now know that I will continue to write and to propagate the humanistic philosophy of the Lotus Sutra: deep respect for all life and for our uniqueness as human beings. By putting into practice the values of this amazing philosophy, I am confident people can become happy, or happier still. The next novel is already floating in my head and in 2016 it will begin to take shape.
I understood that, when my project is for a cause greater than myself, I write not simply out of the desire to create a good piece of art, but to contribute to society with something useful and important. Images and words come from a different part of my heart and with this awareness come a tremendous amount of energy, determination and enthusiasm. I feel a sense of mission, as well as much personal joy and satisfaction. I determined that the next ten years of my life will be the most creative and productive of all. I like my mission!
One interesting detail: In October 2012, while my daughter was visiting, we went through some old documents and we found my first English passport. At the time you had to write your profession. I was 25 years old and loved writing, my life was changing in a radical way and I was living in India with my English husband. I remember saying to my sister-in-law: “I'm not sure what to write as a profession!” She asked: “What do you want to do?” My answer was: “I want to write.” “Then put down: Authoress,” she advised. I had forgotten that thirty six years ago, that was my dream.
I can safely say that it is thanks to this practice, which is making me discover my potential, that my dream is now reality and that I am a writer for Buddhism and for world peace.”