Mahaprajapati Gautami

Mahaprajapati Gautami (Faded: Mahapajapati Gotami) or Maha Prajapati Gautami Theri was the maternal aunt and the adoptive mother of the Bouddha. She was, according to the Buddhist tradition , the first woman to ask to enter the monastic sangha and became senior (theri) nuns, then Arahant. She is often mentioned in the documents concerning the history of the Buddha. As all that milked in Siddharta Gautama, on which nothing was written during the two centuries following its death, information relating to Mahaprajapati Gautami is sometimes contradictory and prone to guarantee, particularly those drawn from the Jataka S, clearly legendary.

Youth

Sister undoubtedly junior by Mahamaya, it was born in Devadaha. His/her father was Anjana of the clan Koliya, combined in turn and enemy of the Sakya S, and like them member of the caste of the Kshatriya S. According to the Apadana , his/her mother named Sulakshana, but the Mahavatsu calls it Yashodhara. She had two brothers, Dandapani and Suppabuddha. With their birth, the wise ones predicted with each sister a destiny of cakkavattin (“turner of wheel”: nobody having a great influence on the course of the things). The name of Prajapati (mistress) was selected for the junior because the soothsayers predicted many disciples to him. Gautami seems to be its family name (gotta) and not that of her husband. The sisters married, either together, or one after the other, Shuddhodana, chief of Sakya. When Mahamaya died, Prajapati was given the responsability to raise the young person Siddharta, trustful clean sound Nanda son with a nurse. Some think that Siddharta could owe him its name of Gautama, because the practice to designate the men by the family name of their mother is attested at the time. Prajapati Gautami had also a girl, Sundari Nanda.

Birth of the female sangha

When Suddhodana died, Mahaprajapati was already sotapanna (first stage of holiness for the laymen), having decided to practice the perfections since she had intended the Buddha to preach the Mahādhammapāla Jātaka at the time of its first return to Kapilavastu after her illumination. It awaited an occasion to ask him to receive it like moniale beggar. This one was presented when Gautama returned to regulate an argument between Sakya and Koliya concerning the rights on the Rohini river. He preached on this occasion the Kalahavivāda Sutta and five hundred young people asked to enter the sangha. Their wives and Prajapati Gautami requested also their entry in the orders, but the Buddha refused and set out again for Vaisali. Stubborn persons, Gautami and his/her partners shaved the head, got dressed with yellow and are reflected on the way with its continuation. Gautama reiterated several times its refusal, but they followed it until destination. Finally, Ananda persuaded it to accept, which it did with back-plate in their imposing eight additional rules fixing them with their male counterparts. He predicts moreover than the radiation of its doctrines would be curtailed because of existence of the moniales. Jatakas claim that Yashodhara, woman of the Buddha, was among the five hundred partners of Gautami.

Senior of the female sangha

In contrast with the preceding episode, other passages describe the Buddha carrying an interest shown with the monastic career of his/her adoptive mother. Thus, when certain nuns refuted her authority, considering that she never had been properly ordered, the Buddha confirmed that its acceptance of the eight rules with Vaisali was worth official wishes (upasampada). The day when he refused, in spite of the intercession of Ananda, the dress which she itself had woven with her intention, he explained why it was in the interest of its spiritual advance. He preached on this occasion the Dakkhināvibhanga Sutta which examines the various categories of gifts as well as qualities and compared merits of the givers.

He proposed a subject of meditation to him thanks to which she became arahant. Its five hundred flocks twice became it after having heard the Nandakovāda Sutta . At the time of an assembly of the sangha with Jetavana, the Buddha declared it first among the rattannunam (tested). He even asked him, to justify in front of his disciples the cogency of the admission of the women in the orders, to achieve miracles. It rose then in the airs. When it fell sick, he derogated from the rules to come to visit him.

To the approach of its hundred-twentieth year, feeling that it was going soon to die out, went to bid its farewell with his/her adoptive son and withdrew themselves after having still achieved some miracles. Many were the members of the sangha who saw it. Among them important disciples of the Buddha and members of his family were: Shariputra, Moggallana, Nanda, Rahula, Khema, Uppalavanna, Sotapanna and Ananda, whose certain authors affirm that it started to cry and that she had to recall it to the order. The Buddha followed its funerary procession and king de Licchavi lit to rough-hew it funerary. Its remainders would have been transformed into pearls that Ananda distributed to the Buddha and the king of Licchavi. Gautama ordered that a Stupa either built to receive them.

Former lives

The Buddhist tradition considers that the exceptional religious destinies ask for several lives of practice and accumulation of perfections (parami), but also the expression of the wish to become Buddha or arahant, whose future realization is guaranteed by the Buddha of the era in progress. Thus, it is at the time of the Buddha Padumuttara that Prajapati, then member of the Hamsavati clan, having intended it to praise the merits of a nun, made the wish follow its example. The Padumuttara Buddha predicts to him that it would found the female sangha.

A popular anecdote reports that in a former life it placed with her partners of the pacekkabuddhas during the rain season. They made build huts with their intention, nourished them and with each one three dresses offered to them. According to the versions, it and its partners are serfs, women of tisserands or noble. The Buddhas are five or five hundreds.

In the Cullanandiya Jataka , the future Buddha is a monkey and it his mother guenon. In the Culladhammapāla Jakata , his/her son the prince is killed on order of his father, who is not other than the enemy eternal of Gautama, his Devadatta cousin. At the time of the Kassapa Buddha, it is Bhikkhudasika, fourth girl of king Kiki of Bénarès, which was obligation with the celibacy and made build a house for the monks.

See too

External bonds

Mahaprajapati Gautami requires of the Buddha to accept the women in the sangha
the family and the disciples of the Buddha by Radhika Abeysekera
Informations on Mahapajapati Gotami with references in the gun faded

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