Awakened Women Foremothers of Buddhism by Tathālokā Bhikkhunī

Awakened Women Foremothers of Buddhism by Tathālokā Bhikkhunī

#HerStory #WomeninBuddhism 

A special tribute - with all our hearts of deep gratitude, to our leading awakened foremothers in early Buddhism, the thirteen foremost arahantī therīs, bhikkhunī (ordained female monastic) disciples of the Buddha. These women truly experienced and were shining examples of the women's liberation and true autonomy of mind & heart that so many long for. Many shared their lives in teaching and in Sangha leadership, having many awakened disciples of their own. All were commended and lauded by the Buddha himself for their exemplary qualities in which they shone. May we follow in their noble and well blessed footsteps, and also put an end to all suffering and to all ignorance; realizing the highest peace, happiness, freedom and wisdom of Nibbana. 

Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu - anumodama!

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To learn more about the lives of these great awakened leading women in Buddhism, and why and how they came to be so, you may enjoy reading:

{☸ Dhamma Dana ☸} 

The Bhikkhuni Samyutta (Discourses of the Ancient Nuns):

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/bl143.html

{☸ Dhamma Dana ☸} 

The Stories about the Foremost Elder Nuns

http://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/English-Texts/Foremost-Elder-Nuns/index.htm

Therigatha: Poems of the First Buddhist Women:

http://www.amazon.com/Therigatha-Poems-Buddhist-Classical-Library/dp/0674427734

Lives of Early Buddhist Nuns: Biographies As History:

https://india.oup.com/product/lives-of-early-buddhist-nuns-9780199459070?

Women in Early Indian Buddhism: Comparative Textual Studies:

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/women-in-early-indian-buddhism-9780199326044?cc=us&lang=en&

{☸ Dhamma Dana ☸}

"Lasting Inspiration: A Look into the Guiding and Determining Mental and Emotional States of Liberated Arahant Women in Their Path of Practice and its Fulfillment as Expressed in the Sacred Biographies of the Therī Apadāna”

https://www.academia.edu/5827376/Lasting_Inspiration_A_Look_into_the_Guiding_and_Determining_Mental_and_Emotional_States_of_Liberated_Arahant_Women_in_Their_Path_of_Practice_and_its_Fulfillment_as_Expressed_in_the_Sacred_Biographies_of_the_Therī_Apadāna

~~~

Note: there are many more women disciples of the Buddha who appear in the Pali texts, most of whom are named here: 

http://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/Reference/Known-Nun-Disciples.htm

There are also a larger number of eminent leading bhikkhuni disciples listed in the Chinese Ekottarika-āgama counterpart to the Pali-text list in the Aṇguttara-nikāya, with the Ekottarika-āgama listing fifty-one outstanding bhikkhunis, whereas the Aṇguttara-nikāya has thirteen. I look forward to the work of Ven. Damchö Diane Finnegan to learn more about how many are recorded in the Early Buddhist suttas and Vinaya as recorded in the Tibetan texts.

~~~

Drawings here are from 3gems.org's series of pictures of Eighty Great Disciples of the Buddha: http://3gems.org/pictures/sangha/eighty-great-disciples/1/. 

Great Anumodana to artist Gayan Chanuka Widanapathirana.

~~~

Much appreciation to @Dhammadharini's HerStory initiative, which has allowed me to share this album with you. 

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Photo credit. The owner who posted it.

Source 

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1 September 2023