Ambapali the courtesan offering (dana) in her mango garden and listening to the Dharma
The courtesan who became enlightened
VESALI, India — People of all castes, exalted and untouchable, female and male, educated and illiterate, powerful and powerless — all sought out the Teaching of the Buddha. He gladly received them. To the Buddha there was no caste by birth. One's status was determined by action (karma), that is, what one did in this life.
When the Buddha and his disciples stopped at Vesali, a rich woman named Ambapali offered them the use of her mango garden just outside the city, giving them a place to rest in the cool shade of her grove.Ambapali was as beautiful as the golden sun rising out of the ocean but lacked the virtue of the third precept, abstaining from sexual misconduct (kamesu micchacara). She had not intended to see him, but her servant called out:
"Lady, the nobles and other folk went by foot to the mango grove yesterday! When I asked them why, they answered that it was because of the man resting there. There is none like him! He was the son of a king who gave up his status and kingdom to go in search of the Truth!"
Always eager for the new and interesting, Ambapali leaped to her feet, got on one of her coaches, and rushed towards the garden, all the while casting proud glances about her. Arriving at the gate, she alighted from the coach and walked through the palm and mango trees. It was very quiet. Even the leaves did not stir. Beneath the deep shade of trees, the Buddha was seated with folded hands and feet. And behind his head an aura glowed like the midnight moon.
Ambapali stood transfixed, forgetting herself, her beauty, absorbed by the arresting sight of the Buddha. She wept, and her heart melted, flowing away in a river of tears. Tentatively, respectfully, she approached the Buddha and fell before his feet, setting her face on the earth.
The Buddha asked her to rise and take a seat. And he spoke the Dharma to her. She listened to these momentous words with parched ears. She drank the Dhrama the way the hot sand absorbs the rain. Having received the Dharma and bowing at the great seer's feet, she invited the Buddha and his disciples to a meal (dana) on the following day. The Buddha accepted her invitation.
The Buddha asked her to rise and take a seat. And he spoke the Dharma to her. She listened to these momentous words with parched ears. She drank the Dhrama the way the hot sand absorbs the rain. Having received the Dharma and bowing at the great seer's feet, she invited the Buddha and his disciples to a meal (dana) on the following day. The Buddha accepted her invitation.
As the nobles (khattiya) of Vesali were arriving, they met Ambapali on the road. She told them that the Buddha had already accepted her invitation for a meal the following day. Jealous, they snapped their fingers and cried out to her: "Sell us the honor of his company for gold!"Ambapali, glowing with joy, replied: "Sirs, even if you were to give me Vesali and all of its territories, yet I would not give up the honor of providing this meal."
Rejoicing in Others' Good Fortune
Rather than being happy for her and thereby sharing her merit (pattanumodana kusala), in anger, the nobles snapped their fingers and approached the Buddha. They requested the honor of offering dana. But he informed them that he had already accepted Ambapali's invitation.
The following day, Ambapali set sweet milk-rice and cakes before the Buddha and his followers. She herself attended upon them in great humility. After the Buddha had eaten, Ambapali sat respectfully to one side. With folded palms (anjali) she said, "O, Holy One, I present this garden to the Sangha. Accept it if it is fitting."
The Buddha accepted her great gift, seeing the purity of heart that offered it. He then gladdened Ambapali with the Dharma. Her mind calm and brightened, her heart grown great with generosity, this was the turning point in Ambapali's life: She understood the profound Dharma and became a virtuous person.
She later entered the Order of Nuns (Bhikkhuni Sangha), and with the heart of wisdom strengthened in her, she became one of the arhats. Just as a lotus springs from muck and mud and blossoms above the water, Ambapali managed to achieve the height of spiritual development despite her past.
The Buddha and his disciples moved on to the small village of Beluva, where he decided to spend the final rains retreat (vassa).
- Who was Ambapali? (women-philosophers.com)
- The Story of Ambapali (sacred-texts.com)
- Ambapali in the Psalms of the Sisters (Therigatha 13.1)
