Verses of Subha the Goldsmith's daughter

Ven. Sujato (trans.), Therigatha: "Verses of the Elder Nuns" (13.5), The Book of the Twenties; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Now I know and see and wish to be a nun. Buddha, ordain me and teach me more.*

Awakened Women of Buddhism in the Therigatha

The Therīgāthā, often translated as "The Verses of the Elder Nuns" (from Pāli therī "elder," a female with more than ten rainy seasons as a nun, and gāthā, "verses") is an important Buddhist text.

It is a collection of short verses or poems of early enlightened women, who were "elders" in the Noble Sangha or "community of enlightened individuals in the world."

Elder here does not mean old, as having been in robes for ten Vass or "monsoon periods," starting at a young age, as young as 7, one might be a 17-year-old fully enlightened nun. If one received full ordination at the age of consent, 20 (which would be 21 because in many Asian countries one is born at age 1, not 0, as in the west).

The poems date from a 300-year period, with some dated as early as the late 6th century BCE. According to American Ven. Thanissaro, abbot of Wat Metta, the Therigatha is the "earliest extant text depicting women’s spiritual experiences."

In the Pāli Canon, the Therigatha is classified as part of the Khuddaka Nikaya, the collection of short books in the Sutta Pitaka. It consists of 73 verses organized into 16 chapters. It is the companion text to the Theragatha, "The Verses of Elder Monks" or men's spiritual awakenings. It is the earliest known collection of women's literature composed in ancient India. Here is one example:

Subhā, the Goldsmith’s Daughter

1.1 “I was so young, my clothes so fresh,

1.2 at the time I heard the Teaching.

1.3 Being attentive [in meditation/contemplation],

1.4 I comprehended the truth;

2.1 And then I became profoundly dispassionate

2.2 towards all sensual pleasures.

2.3 Seeing danger in this insubstantial reality,

2.4 I longed for renunciation [to let go].

3.1 Giving up my family circle,

3.2 bonded servants and workers,

3.3 and my flourishing villages and lands,

3.4 so delightful and pleasant,

4.1 I went forth [ordained as a wandering ascetic nun];

4.2 all that is no small wealth.

4.3 Now that I’ve gone forth in confidence like this,

4.4 in the true Teaching so well proclaimed,

5.1 since I crave for nothing,

5.2 it would be inappropriate

5.3 to take back gold and money,

5.4 having already gotten rid of them.

6.1 Neither money nor gold

6.2 lead to peace or awakening.

6.3 It does not befit a wandering ascetic.

6.4 It is not the wealth of the noble ones;

7.1 It’s just greed and vanity,

7.2 confusion and growing decadence,

7.3 dubious, troublesome —

7.4 there is nothing lasting there.

8.1 Depraved and heedless,

8.2 unenlightened folk, their hearts corrupted,

8.3 fight each other,

8.4 creating conflict.

9.1 Killing, caging, misery,

9.2 loss, grief, and lamentation,

9.3 those sunk in sensual pleasures

9.4 see many disastrous things.

10.1 My family, why do you urge me back

10.2 to [lowly] pleasures as if you were my enemies?

10.3 You know I have gone forth [from all that],

10.4 seeing great danger in [clinging to] sensual pleasures.

11.1 It is not due to gold, minted or unminted,

11.2 that defilements come to an end.

11.3 Sensual pleasures are enemies and murderers,

11.4 hostile forces that bind us to thorns.

12.1 My family, why do you urge me on

12.2 to pleasures as if you were my enemies?

12.3 You know I have gone forth,

12.4 shaven, wrapped in my outer saffron robe.

13.1 Leftovers as gleanings,

13.2 and cast-off rags as my robes —

13.3 that is what is fitting for me,

13.4 the essentials of the left-home life.

14.1 Great seers expel craving for sensual pleasures,

14.2 whether human and divine.

14.3 Safe in their sanctuary, they are free,

14.4 having found unshakable happiness.

15.1 May I not encounter [sticky] sensual pleasures,

15.2 for no safety is found in them.

15.3 Sensual pleasures are enemies and murderers,

15.4 as painful as a bonfire [one is cast upon].

16.1 Greed is an obstacle, a threat,

16.2 full of anguish and thorns;

16.3 it is out of balance,

16.4 a great gateway to confusion.

17.1 Hazardous and terrifying,

17.2 sensual pleasures are like a snake’s head [with fangs],

17.3 where fools delight,

17.4 the blind ordinary [uninstructed] folk.

18.1 Mired in the swamp of sensuality,

18.2 there are so many ignorant in the world.

18.3 They know nothing of making an end

18.4 of rebirth and future deaths.

19.1 Because of [craving for] sensual pleasures,

19.2 people fall onto a path that goes to a bad place.

19.3 So many walk that path

19.4 that brings them disease.

20.1 That is how [attachment to] sensual pleasures creates enemies;

20.2 they are tormenting, corrupting,

20.3 trapping living beings with worldly pleasures of the flesh.

20.4 They are nothing less than the bonds of death.

21.1 Enticing, maddening,

21.2 sensual pleasures derange the heart/mind.

21.3 They are a snare laid by Māra [the Tempter]

21.4 for the corruption of living beings.

22.1 Sensual pleasures are boundlessly dangerous.

22.2 They are full of suffering, a terrible poison;

22.3 Offering little gratification, they are makers of strife,

22.4 withering bright qualities away.

23.1 Since I have created so much ruination

23.2 because of [craving for] sensual pleasures,

23.3 I will not relapse to them again

23.4 but will always delight in quenching.

24.1 Fighting against sensual pleasures,

24.2 longing for that cool state,

24.3 I shall meditate diligently

24.4 for the ending of all fetters.

25.1 Sorrowless, stainless, secure:

25.2 I’ll follow that path,

25.3 the straight noble eightfold way

25.4 by which the seers have crossed over.”

26.1 “Look at this: Subhā the goldsmith’s daughter,

26.2 standing firm in the teaching.

26.3 She has entered the imperturbable state,

26.4 meditating at the root of a tree.

27.1 It’s just eight days since she went forth,

27.2 full of confidence in the beautiful Teaching.

27.3 Guided by Ven. Uppalavaṇṇā,

27.4 she is master of the Three Knowledges, conqueror of death.

28.1 This one is freed from slavery and debt,

28.2 a nun with faculties developed.

28.3 Unyoked from all yokes,

28.4 she has completed the task and is free of defilements [asavas].”

29.1 Thus did Sakka, lord of all creatures,

29.2 along with a host of devas,

29.3 having come by their psychic powers,

29.4 honor Subhā, the goldsmith’s daughter.

*The enlightened author

G. P. Malalasekera, Buddhist Dictionary of Pali Proper Names (1899-1973), London, edited by Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

Verses of Arahant Nun Subhā, who dwelled in the Jīvaka Mango Garden (serenecolombo.org)

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Subhā Kammāradhītā was the daughter of a rich goldsmith in Rājagaha, the royal city wrung by seven hills, where the Buddha spent many rainy seasons on Vulture's Peak and where "Buddhism" was founded near Pipphali Cave.

One day she went to pay homage to the Buddha and he, recognizing her ability to grasp the timeless Dhamma, taught her a gradual discourse. She became a stream enterer (sotāpanna, the first stage of enlightenment).

She later joined the Bhikkhuni Sangha or "Nun's Order," under Ven. Mahā Pajāpatī Gotami (the world's first Buddhist nun, the Buddha's adoptive mother, sister of his biological mother, Queen Maya).

From time to time her relatives tried to persuade her to disrobe and leave the Monastic Order to return to the lay life and the world.

So one day she set forth, in 24 verses, the dangers of household life and dismissed them, convinced of her having rightly grasped the ultimate meaning of life due to her initial awakening.

Then, striving for insight (vipassana), she attained full enlightenment (arahantship) on the eighth day (Therigatha, Verses 338-361).

The Buddha saw this and praised her in three verses (Thig.vs.362-364).

Sakka (the king of the devas of Tavatimsa or the "Heaven of the Thirty-Three" and the "Realm of the Four Great Regents") visited her with the devas of Tāvatimsa and uttered another verse in her praise (ThigA.365; ThigA.236f.)

Jain nun becomes enlightened Buddhist

Hellmuth Hecker (author, Sister Vajira (translator from the German), Buddhist Women at the Time of the Buddha via accesstoinsight.org; Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

Bhadda Kundalakesa, the former Jain wandering ascetic

Where to find a teacher wiser than I am?

In Rajagaha, the capital of the kingdom of Magadha [Rajgir, India], there lived a girl of good family named Bhadda.

Her parents protected her very carefully because of her passionate nature. They were afraid that she would get hurt due to her attraction to men.

One day from her window Bhadda saw how a thief was being paraded to the place of execution. He was the son of a Brahmin (wealthy priestly caste) but had a strong tendency towards stealing.

She fell in love with him at first sight. She convinced her father that she could not live without him, so he bribed the guards who allowed the condemned man to escape.

Soon after the wedding, the groom became obsessed with the desire to possess his wife's jewelry. He told her he had made a vow that he would make an offering to a certain mountain deity if he could escape execution.

• Bhaddā Kundalakesa (Dictionary of Pali Proper Names)

Through this ruse he managed to get Bhadda away from his home. He wanted to throw her down from a high cliff to gain possession of her valuable ornaments. When they came to the cliff, he brusquely told her about his intention.

Bhadda, in her distress, likewise resolved to a ruse that enabled her to give him a push so that it was he who plunged to his death.

Burdened by the enormity of her misdeed, she did not want to return to lay life. Sensual pleasures and material possessions were no longer temptations. She became a wandering ascetic (shramana).

First, she entered the order of Jains and as a special penance, her hair was pulled out from the roots rather than being cut off when she ordained. But it grew back again and was very curly. Therefore, she was called "Curly-hair" (Kundalakesa).

The dharma (teaching) of the Jain sect did not satisfy her, so she became a solitary wandering ascetic. For 50 years she traveled through India and visited many spiritual teachers to question and learn from them. She thereby obtained an excellent knowledge of spiritual teachings and philosophies.

She became one of the most famous debaters [like the Buddha's famous wife, Bhaddakacca, Bhadda Kaccana, Yasodhara, Yasodhari, Rahulamata, Rahulabhadda, Bimba Devi, who became an enlightened nun and famous debater].

When she entered a town, she would make a sand pile and stick a roseapple tree branch into it and would announce that whoever would engage in discussion with her should trample upon the sandpile and knock over the branch.

The Awareness Center, 2801 E Foothill Blvd, Pasadena, CA (Yelp)

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One day she came to Savatthi and again set up her little sand monument. At that time, Sariputra — a chief male disciple of the Buddha "foremost in wisdom" [like the nun Khema] deemed to have the greatest power of analysis — was staying at Jeta's Grove.

He heard of the arrival of Bhadda and as a sign of his willingness to debate her, he had several children go and trample the sand pile. Thereupon, the female wandering ascetic Bhadda went to Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Monastery, accompanied by a large number of spectators.

She was certain of victory, since she had become used to winning all her debates.

She put a number of questions to Sariputra. He answered all of them until she found nothing more to ask. Then Sariputra questioned her.

The very first question affected Bhadda profoundly, namely, "What is the One?" She remained silent, unable to discern what the Buddhist elder (thera) could be inquiring about.

Surely, he did not mean "God," "Brahman," or "the Infinite," she reasoned. But what was it then? The answer should have been "nutriment" because all beings are sustained by some kind of food or another.

Although she was unable to figure out an answer and thereby lost the debate, she knew that here was someone who had found what she had been looking for during her wandering of half a century.

She chose Sariputra as her teacher, but he referred her to the Buddha. The Awakened One taught her the Dharma at Vulture's Peak and concluded the teaching with the following verses:

Though a thousand verses

are made of meaningless lines,

better the single meaningful line

by hearing which one is at peace.

— Dhammapada 101

Just as the wanderer Bahiya of the Barkcloth was foremost among males who attained enlightenment/awakening (arahantship) faster than anyone else, she was foremost among females with the same quality.

Both grasped the highest Truth so quickly and so deeply that admittance to the Buddhist Monastic Order followed her attainment of enlightenment. Mind and heart (intellect and emotions) had both long been trained and prepared, so they were able to reach the highest attainment very quickly.

Ven. Bhadda's verses have been handed down to us in the collection of the "Verses of the Elder Nuns" (Therigatha) as she summarizes her life:

I traveled before in a single cloth,

With shaven head, covered in dust [ashes],

Thinking of faults in the faultless,

While in the faulty seeing no faults.*

When done was the day's abiding,**

I went to Vulture's Peak

And saw the Stainless One the Buddha

By the Buddhist Monastic Order revered.

Then before him my hands in anjali mudra***

Humbly, I bowed on my knees.

"Come, Bhadda," he said to me:

And thus was I ordained.

Debt-free, I traveled for 50 years

Through Anga, Magadha, and Vajji,

Through Kasi and Kosala, too,

Living on the alms of the land.

That lay-supporter — wise person indeed —

May many merits accrue to that person!

Who gave a robe to Bhadda for

Free of all ties is she.

— Therigatha 107-111

• *Vajja: "fault" can also mean "what is obstructive to spiritual progress."
• **The daytime spent in seclusion in meditation.
• ***Anjali mudra: hands placed palm to palm respectfully.
• "Elder" (theri or thera) refers to nuns and monks of ten years or more.
• Sources: A I,24; Thig 107-111; J 509; Ap 11 No.21 (p.560).

Tara Brach (livestream)

Tara Brach (tarabrach.com, 4/29/20); Amber Larson, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly


Livestream: Tara Brach

Welcome to Tara Brach's Wednesday night live stream. Feel free to check in and let her know where you are watching from. Tonight’s session is being recorded and will be available soon on her website (tarabrach.com). This offering is supported by the generosity of fans. To make a donation, please visit tarabrach.com/donation.

"Women in Ancient India"

Weerasinghe (BPS, BL 47); Amber Larson, Crystal Q., Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

1. The Buddha's new mother: Mahā Pajāpatī Gotami

Within a week after the birth of Prince Siddhartha, who decades later was to become "the Buddha," his biological mother, Queen Maya, passed away.

From his infancy the young prince was tended to and cared for by her sister, his stepmother, Mahā Pajāpatī Gotami, who was the co-wife of his father, King Suddhodana, the ruler of the Shakyian [Scythian] kingdom.
 

Scythian mother and prince

Mahā Pajāpati’s affection for Prince Siddhartha was the same as for her own children, his half-brother and half-sister. She took the greatest care of him. After the death of King Suddhodana, she devoted her time to the study of the Buddha’s Teaching (Dharma). Her leisure hours were spent in preparing a suitable robe to offer to the Buddha.

At the end of the fifth rains retreat (vassā) of the Buddha, spent at the Pinnacled Hall at Mahāvana near the city of Vesāli, Mahā Pajāpatī Gotami brought the robe prepared by her to be presented to the Buddha. But when the robe was offered to him, to her great surprise the Buddha refused to accept it.

Repeatedly she offered it to the Buddha, but each time it was refused by him. At this she was deeply grieved. She remembered incidents in Prince Sidddartha’s life and how she had taken the place of his mother.

Tears filled her eyes at the Buddha refusing to accept her gift. Yet, she persisted in her offer of the robe.

Seeing the embarrassment of the queen, the Buddha explained that he would not wish to receive the robe as a personal gift. Instead, for her greater good, he suggested to her that it should be offered to the Greater Monastic Order (Mahā Sangha), whose enlightened members come from every direction.

Offering it to the greater community would be a far greater act of merit. After this explanation, when the robe was duly offered to the Monastic Order, the Buddha accepted it.

The Order of Nuns

The birth of the Buddha-to-be (Bodhisattva) attended by devas and Scythian ladies

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As time passed Mahā Pajāpatī realized more and more the truth of the Buddha’s Dharma. And as her son, Prince Nanda, had entered the Monastic Order she, too, expressed a desire to live a life of renunciation as a nun. 

But as yet no Order of Nuns (Bhikkhunī Sangha) existed. Therefore, she pleaded for the Buddha to admit women as fully ordained nuns to the Monastic Order.

But it is said that the Buddha for several reasons refused such permission. Undaunted, however, Mahā Pajāpatī cut off her long hair, donned saffron robes, and accompanied by several Shakyian ladies, she walked from the Shakyian capital city of Kapilavatthu to Vesāli in the east.

Travel-worn and weeping, she stood outside the porch of the Pinnacled Hall at Mahāvana, where the Buddha was residing. There, it is said, she repeated her pleading to her relative, Venerable Ānanda [the Buddha's other son or cousin, depending on one's source], who had seen her standing at the gate.

The Buddhist texts record how Ven. Ānanda, who was greatly moved by this pathetic sight, appealed to the Buddha on behalf of Mahā Pajāpatī and the other Shakyian ladies.

Finally, it is said, the Buddha granted permission to women to enter the Monastic Order on certain conditions, which Mahā Pajāpatī gladly accepted. Thus was instituted the Order of Buddhist Nuns.

2. Princess Yasodharā (wife of the Buddha)

In the life of Prince Siddhartha perhaps no one showed him greater devotion than his wife, Princess Bimba (remembered in history by the epithet "Yasodharā").

Buddhist stories show that she had been the companion of the Bodhisattva ("Buddha-to-be") in countless previous rebirths....

• [They were cousins born on the same day. She went on to become an enlightened nun and the greatest disputant in the land, who is referred to as Ven. Bhaddhakaccana and Rahulamata, thereby hiding how famous she became when her husband came back as the Enlightened One and she, her son, and many Scythians went forth into monastic life to gain enlightenment.]

When the Buddha entered Yasodharā’s chamber in the company of his father the king and two of his monastic disciples, he sat on a prepared seat. Yasodharā came, clasped his ankles, and placing her head on his feet, paid reverence to him. The Buddha had given directions that she should be allowed to salute him as she wished.

King Suddhodana then commented on her great love and said: “Venerable sir, when my step-daughter heard that you were wearing saffron robes [of a wandering ascetic], she also robed herself in saffron. When she heard you were taking only one meal a day, she also did the same. When she heard that you had given up high and luxurious seats, she did the same. When she heard that you had given up garlands and perfumes, she also gave them up. When her relatives sent messages to say that they would maintain her, she did not even look at a single one. So virtuous was my step-daughter.”

The Buddha then said: “Not only in this rebirth, but in a previous births, too, she cared for me.” He then related the rebirth story called the Candakiṇṇāra Jātaka....

3. Visākhā

Visākhā, the devout daughter of Dhanañjaya, a millionaire of Sāvatthī, can be classed as an ideal lay woman.

Judged by modern standards, Visākha remains an example to all women. She was intelligent and gifted with many feminine charms. In addition, she was fabulously wealthy. She was able to win the love and esteem of Puññavaddhana, the son of Migāra, another millionaire of Sāvatthī.

Her young husband did not hold the same spiritual and religious views as Visākhā who, quite early, became a lay follower of the Buddha. Nevertheless, due to Visākhā’s tolerance, there was always domestic happiness.

As a young girl she was so intelligent that she was able to grasp the Buddha’s teaching, the Dharma, when he came, as he often did, to her home on her father’s invitation for alms. It is said that when she heard the Dharma from the Buddha for the first time, she attained the first stage of enlightenment (stream-entry)....

The marriage of Visākhā and Puññavaddhana was a great event in the city. Visākhā received from her father, Dhanañjaya, as an heirloom, an exquisitely rich ornament called the mahālātā pilandhana ("great parure") and Ten Admonitions from her father that were the secret of her happy home life:

Ten Admonitions from a Father

1. “Indoor fire should not be taken outside the home.” (Troubles at home should not be discussed with outsiders, as such talk tends to increase troubles in the family).
2. “Outside fire should not be brought inside.” (Talk of outsiders who speak ill of the family should not be repeated in the house. Such tale-bearing destroys family harmony).
3. “Give only to those who give.” (One should lend to those who will return what is given).
4. “Do not give to those who do not give.” (One should not lend to those who do not return the articles).
5. “Give to one who gives as well as to one who gives not.” (Poor relatives and friends should be helped even if they do not repay loans).
6. “Sit happily.” (She should sit in a becoming way and consider status and seniority. In the presence of her parents-in-law and her husband, she should remain standing [as a mark of respect and deference]).
7. “Eat happily.” (She should take food after seeing that seniors and husband are served and that the servants are provided for).
8. “Sleep happily.” (Before a wife retires for the night, the needs of the seniors of the family should be seen to, and she should check that doors are locked and other household duties are done).
9. “Wait upon the household fire.” (The needs of husband and senior family members in the house should be well attended to as a sacred duty).
10. “Honor the household divinities.” (Parents-in-law and husband should be honored as the devas of the home).

At Sāvatthī she built the “Eastern Monastery” (Pubbārāma)....In that distant age when women were not much esteemed in society, Visākhā won the respect of all. Prominence was given to her in the Buddhist texts.

4. Sad Kisāgotamī
When the Buddha was residing at Jetavana Monastery, Kisāgotamī came to him with a very sad tale. She belonged to the Gotama (Sanskrit Gautama) clan and was therefore a relative of Prince Siddhartha, the Buddha.

She was remarkably beautiful with a delicate, tender, and frail body. Because of this, she was known as Kisa ("Slender") Gotami. She married well, her husband being a wealthy merchant. But when her baby died... the story is a famous Buddhist one about what happened.

5. Sexy, rich Paṭācārā

When the Buddha was residing at Jetavana, there lived in the neighborhood a young girl named Paṭācārā. She was endowed with beauty, riches, and she could have won the love of any young man in marriage.

Nevertheless, she had a clandestine love affair with one of her household servants. And she was aware that her parents would never agree to her unequal marriage, so she eloped and lived with him in a jungle den.

As time passed and she was expecting her first baby, she had a very keen desire to return home to give birth (as was the custom).

But Paṭācārā’s husband was afraid to face his former masters, as he thought that he would be punished for eloping. She, however, was determined to see her parents, and she ran away.

On the way, however, a baby boy was born and yielding to the pleadings of her husband who had followed her, she returned to their hut in the forest. And a second time with a new baby... leading to a famous Buddhist story... More

Buddhism in a Nutshell

Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Crystal Quintero (eds.),  Wisdom Quarterly; Narada Maha Thera, Buddhism in a Nutshell (Budsas.org); photographer Cyrille Gibot, Sri Lanka

The historical Buddha carved in stone, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka (Sallyrango/flickr.com)

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Buddha and His Teachings

Buddhism in a Nutshell first appeared in 1933. Since then several editions have been published by various philanthropists for free distribution. For a fuller exposition of the subjects dealt with here, readers may refer to the revised and enlarged edition of The Buddha and His Teachings published in 1980.

— Ven. Narada, Vajirarama, Sri Lanka, May 7, 1982

Ordinarily the enjoyment of sensual pleasures is the highest and only happiness of the average person.

There is no doubt that there is a kind of momentary happiness in the anticipation, gratification, and retrospection of fleeting physical pleasures, albeit illusive and temporary, but craving and clinging to them cause a great deal of pain. According to the Buddha non-attachment is a greater bliss.

 

The Buddha did not expect followers to be constantly pondering unsatisfactoriness (dukkha, woe, ill, suffering, disappointment) and lead a miserable or unhappy life. He exhorts them to be always happy and cheerful, for joy (piti) is one of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment.

 

Real happiness is found within and is not defined in terms of wealth, children, honors, or fame. If such possessions are misdirected, forcibly or unjustly obtained, misappropriated, or even viewed with attachment, they will be a source of pain and sorrow to the possessors.

 

Instead of trying to rationalize the existence of suffering, Buddhism acknowledges it and seeks its cause to uproot it. Suffering exists as long as there is craving to some things based on ignorance and associated with aversion to other things. It can only be ended by practicing the Noble Eightfold Path and attaining the supreme peace and safety of nirvana.

 

Buddha Aukana, Sri Lanka (Cyrille Gibot/flickr)

The Four Nobe Truths -- that there is suffering, that it has a cause, that it can be brought to an end, and the path to its end -- can be verified by human experience.

So the Buddha-Dharma does not rely on a fear of the unknown, but is founded on a bedrock of facts that can be tested for oneself and verified by personal experience. Buddhism is therefore rational and intensely practical with a mystical side that can be experienced.

 

Such a rational and practical system cannot contain irresolvable mysteries or esoteric doctrines. Blind faith, therefore, has no place in Buddhism. Free of blind faith there can be no coercion or persecution or fanaticism.

To the unique credit of Buddhism is that throughout its peaceful march of 2,600 years no drop of blood was shed in the name of the Buddha, no mighty monarch wielded his powerful sword to propagate the Dharma (Teaching), and no conversion was made either by force or by repulsive methods. Yet, the Buddha was the first and the greatest missionary in history.

 

Aldous Huxley writes: "Alone of all the great world religions Buddhism made its way without persecution censorship or inquisition."

 

Lord Russell remarks: "Of the great religions of history, I prefer Buddhism, especially in its earliest forms; because it has had the smallest element of persecution."

 

In the name of Buddhism no altar was reddened with the blood of a Hypatia, no Bruno was burnt alive.

 

Buddhism appeals more to the intellect than to the emotion. It is concerned more with the character of the devotees than with their numerical strength.

Women visit Anuradhapura (Cyrille Gibot)

On one occasion Upali, a follower of Jainism's Mahavira (Nigantha Nataputta), approached the Buddha and was so pleased with the Buddha's exposition of the Dharma that he instantly expressed his desire to become a follower of the Buddha. But the Buddha cautioned him, saying:

 

"In truth, O householder, make a thorough investigation! It is good for a distinguished person like you to (first) make a thorough investigation."

Upali, who was overjoyed at this unexpected remark of the Buddha, responded: "Venerable sir, had I become a follower of another teaching, its adherents would have taken me around the streets in a procession proclaiming that such and such a millionaire has renounced his former faith and embraced theirs.

"But, venerable sir, your reverence advises me to investigate further. All the more pleased am I with this remark of yours. For the second time, venerable sir, I go for guidance to the Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha [enlightened community]."

 

Buddhism is saturated with this spirit of free enquiry and complete tolerance. It is the teaching of the open mind and the sympathetic heart that, lighting and warming the whole universe with its twin rays of wisdom and compassion, sheds a genial glow on every being struggling in the ocean of birth and death.

 

The Buddha was so tolerant that he did not even exercise his power to give commandments to his lay followers. Instead of using the imperative, he said: "It behooves us to do this -- and it behooves us not to do that." He exhorts but does not command.

 

The Buddha in Kandy, near the relic of the tooth, Sri Lanka (Tam Church/flickr)

 

This tolerance the Buddha extended to men, women, children, and all living beings.

 

It was the Buddha who first attempted to abolish slavery and vehemently protested against the degrading caste system which was firmly rooted in India (the various independent kingdoms of the day). In the words of the Buddha, it is not by mere birth that one becomes an outcast or a noble, but by one's actions (karma). Caste or color does not preclude one from becoming a Buddhist or from entering the Monastic Order.

Fishermen, scavengers, courtesans, together with warriors and Brahmins were freely admitted to the Monastic Order and enjoyed equal privileges and were also given positions of rank. Upali, the barber, for instance, was made in preference to all others the chief in matters pertaining to monastic discipline (Vinaya).

• Sunita, the timid  scavenger, who attained arhatship or full enlightenment, was admitted by the Buddha into the Monastic Order.
• Angulimala, the mass murderer, was converted into a compassionate saint.
• Alavaka the fierce yakkha went for guidance to the Buddha and became a saint.
• Ambapali the courtesan entered the Monastic Order and attained arhatship.

Such instances could easily be multiplied from the Three Divisions, the Tipitaka, to show that the portals of Buddhism were wide open to all, irrespective of caste, color, rank, or riches.

 

Ayya Tathaloka (right) and other Buddhist nuns visit temple, Aug. 2010 (WR)

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The Buddha raised the status of downtrodden women and not only brought them to a realization of their importance to society but also founded the first religious order for women with rules and regulations. (Mahavira and the Jains preceded the Buddha in this respect, but the Buddha was the first leader of a universal religion to give women this opportunity. It seems the monks soon made rules to subordinate women saying the Buddha had laid those eight "heavy rules" or garudhammas down, which is contradicted by textual evidence in the Bhikkhuni Vinaya. (See Ven. Tathaloka). 

• Ayya Tathāloka: Living the Dream

The Buddha uplifted women, while recognizing gender differences. Seeing the innate good of people, he assigned them due places in his dispensation, such as assigning the nuns Khema and Uppalavanna as chief disciples who helped bring women to enlightenment the way the monks Sariputra and Maha Moggallana were doing at the men's monastery. Biological sex is no barrier to attaining sainthood, namely, the purified progressive stages of enlightenment.

 

Sometimes the Pali language term used to denote women is matugama, which means "mother-folk" or "society of mothers." Even the wife is regarded as the "best friend" (parama sakha) of the husband.

 

Buddha at Bentotagama vihara, Sri Lanka

Hasty critics are only making ex parte statements when they reproach Buddhism with being inimical to women. Although monks say that at first the Buddha refused to admit women into the Monastic Order, he yielded to the entreaties of his foster-mother, Pajapati Gotami, who became the world's first Buddhist nun and founder of the Nuns' Order.

In addition to the arhats and chief female disciples Khema and Uppalavanna, many other female disciples were named by the Buddha as his distinguished disciples.

 

On one occasion the Buddha said to King Kosala, who was displeased on hearing that a daughter was born to him: "A female child, O king, may prove even better offspring than a male."

Many women, who otherwise would have fallen into oblivion, distinguished themselves in various ways and gained their liberation by following the Dharma and entering the Monastic Order. In this new organization -- which later proved to be a great blessing to many women, queens, princesses, daughters of noble families, widows, bereaved mothers, destitute women, and poor courtesans -- all met on a common platform despite their caste or rank. In it they enjoyed perfect consolation and peace and breathed that free atmosphere which is denied to those cloistered in cottages and palatial mansions. More

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Spiritual Makeover: Christine, Buddhist Nun

Thomas (ContemporaryNomad.com)
Raised in Alberta, Canada and a Buddhist for many years, she wanted to become a Tibetan nun, renouncing the household life, a life-altering decision made with confidence.

[Ani] Christine is only the second Western Buddhist nun I have ever met. The first nun, whom we met a couple of weeks ago at Dargye Gompa (monastery), was an ascetic, standoffish German woman who had no interest in talking to us.

Ani Christine is different. She would always have a smile on her face and say hi when we passed each other in the hostel. This was my chance to talk to her and satisfy my curiosity about who she was, so I approached her to find out.

I think she was surprised that I came up to her because many people, as she told me later, shied away from talking to her maybe out of fear of asking the wrong questions. I wasn’t afraid and asked all the wrong questions anyway:

• “What color is your underwear?”
• “Didn’t it feel weird to cut your hair off?”
• “Why did you choose THIS new career?”

She patiently answered my questions with a great deal of humor and did not seem to be insulted at all.

Ani Christine became a nun only two weeks ago. Her excitement about becoming a nun is so contagious that we can’t help but feel completely happy for her. While talking about her past, she eagerly showed us some “before pictures” of herself with long hair and Western clothes taken only a few weeks ago and admitted that she had never had short hair.

She looks totally cute, though, with her buzz cut and her red [Tibetan] nun outfit, which she recently bought in a clothes store catering to nuns and monks. More

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International Women's Day 2011 (video)

(SplashVOD) Join Wisdom Quarterly for the largest gathering of women for International Women's Day in the history of the world. The Women's Information Network (The WIN) is presenting celebrations at venues in 10 U.S. cities and in 175 countries around the world. Log on to find the nearest celebration: InternationalWomensDay.org. This a time for all people with women and men shoulder to shoulder. Individuals lead the way free of gender barriers. Nothing and no one can stop a movement whose time has come! Our friend Gina Marie says "Women's Day" is an insult to women, who are actually a majority on the planet. But we all have to recognize how women are subordinated, undermined, and discounted before we can claim to effectively being doing anything about it. It improves life on Earth for men, children, women, unseen beings, animals, and even plants that women are recognized and treated as the equals they always have been.

• Register free in March: 100womenofdestiny.com

Burma Watch International interview

Burma Watch International on current Burma situation
(VOA) Canada-based Burma Watch International Director Dr. Alice Khin Saw Win said May is a significant month in Burma politics. In this week's Women's Corner interview Dr. Alice talks about her views on the current National Convention, the 14th anniversary of Burma's 1990 elections in which Democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD party won a landslide victory... Listen now:

• Interview with Dr. Alice Khin Saw Win (1.3mb)
• Interview with Dr. Alice Khin Saw Win (1.3mb)

Women's Place in Buddhism

Reflections on J. Abeygunawardhana's letter (The Island Online, Sri Lanka)

(WQ) It's an unfortunate truth that Buddhism has sexist elements. It was certainly progressive in its day. According to the Buddha, as a dispensation (sasana), Buddhism would not be complete or perfect without -- four kinds of followers: male and female ordained and lay followers.

However, at some point sexism asserted itself. The India of that time pushed back progressive gains, and the texts were interpreted more according to custom and habit. Commentators had one view of women in spite of the histories of many enlightened nuns in the sutras. and things added. The subtraction (of discourses originally memorized and preserved by nuns) were not then memorized by monks when the Order of Nuns declined and disappeared. Indeed, they had their own sutras addressed to them to keep track of. (The Therigatha, "Psalms of the Sisters" or "Enlightened Verses of the Nuns," and the Vinaya rules for nuns are two examples of scriptures specifically aimed at nuns that survive).

One should not doubt that the sexism that pervades the world outside of shamanistic and Pagan traditions also touched Buddhism. The social reality is that sexism is still very much alive. Even as this lay Buddhist writer sending in a letter to the editor in defense of women at The Island reveals, a great deal of ignorance still surrounds women. Moreover, Sri Lanka, which is where The Island is based, was a British colony and took on a great deal of the bias inherent in the English educational system.

Nevertheless, the letter brings up some good points. There is indeed a text that claims that women -- who are fully capable of becoming enlightened, seeing nirvana, being liberated in this very life, and even teaching the Dharma -- cannot become buddhas unless they were to first be reborn as men. Is this true? It would seem not. Is it true that it is written and believed? There can be no doubt about that. Assuming it is true, one must always bear in mind that living beings are neither male nor female. Rebirth from one sex to the other is common. And beyond the level of brahmas (divinities), there is no sexual dimorphism, no male and female, no sexual distinction. Therefore, men cannot claim to be "men" except that they temporarily manifest a type of body which is predominantly masculine and less feminine.

G.A.D. Sirimal’s letter on "Tragic discrimination against women" in the columns of The Island (11/07/09) prompts me to reply to correct his misinterpretation of buddhahood and womanhood. These are his words:

"What about Buddhism? Can any woman become a Buddha? From what I have heard in [sermon] preaching by Buddhist monks, a woman could become a buddha, if during her journey through Samsara, she accrues sufficient merit [for buddhahood], be born as a man, and then attain buddhahood."

A buddha-aspirant has to be born as a male in his last birth, not because man is superior to woman. A bodhisattva’s journey to buddhahood or enlightenment in his last birth, is a trying experience, a woman is not equal to. [This is where the writer falls off a cliff trying to defend equality]. For instance, the [superfluous] six year period of austerity Prince Siddhartha practiced, prior to attaining buddhahood or [perfect] enlightenment, is not something that a woman, tender and physically weaker than a man, could withstand. According to the Buddha’s Teachings, gender is not considered a [disqualifier] to attain nirvana (deathlessness/bliss).

The Buddha’s retinue (parivara) consists of four divisions -- monks and nuns as well as male and female lay disciples. Anyone who belongs to one of these divisions can attain the supreme bliss of nirvana in this very life, if one follows the Teachings (Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path) diligently. There is no discrimination whatsoever against a female. (Except apparently in the imagination or social conception of the writer).

All beings are equal. One is not superior to another by birth, race, caste, creed, or gender. That is the Buddha’s Teaching. Of the three compendiums (Tripitaka, the three divisions of the Teaching), the Book of Discipline was recited by the enlightened monk Upali, a great elder (maha thera) of the Buddha who was born to a so-called low caste (scavenger) family. There was no discrimination in the Buddha's dispensation (Sasana).

Limited space here does not permit me to further elucidate my point that there is no discrimination against women in the Teachings of Gautama Buddha. The nuns Patachara and Kisagotami are two famous women who were ordained by the Buddha before attaining enlightenment. The nuns Sujata and Visakha are great names associated with Gautama Buddha’s lifetime. One should not rush to hasty conclusions and pass judgment on anything without knowing the facts. Source

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