First Buddhist Women: Poems and Stories of AwakeningFirst Buddhist Women is a readable, contemporary translation of and commentary on the enlightenment verses of the first female disciples of the Buddha. The book explores Buddhism’s relatively liberal attitude towards women since its founding nearly 2,600 years ago, through the study of the Therigatham, the earliest know collection of women’s religious poetry. Through commentary and storytelling, author Susan Murcott traces the journey of the wives, mothers, teachers, courtesan, prostitutes, and wanderers who became leaders in the Buddhist community, roles that even today are rarely filled by women in other patriarchal religions. Their poetry beautifully expresses their search for spiritual attainment and their struggles in society. |
Contents
11 | |
25 | |
Chapter Two Patacara Her Disciples | 43 |
Chapter Three Wanderers Disciples | 53 |
Chapter Four Wise Women Teachers | 71 |
Chapter Five Mothers | 87 |
Chapter Six Wives | 105 |
Chapter Seven Old Women | 127 |
Chapter Nine Friends Sisters | 153 |
Chapter Ten Buddhist Nuns Nature | 169 |
Chapter Eleven Dialogue Poems | 185 |
Chapter Twelve The Legacy of the First Buddhist Women | 207 |
Rules of the Nuns Sangha | 213 |
Glossary of Terms and Places | 219 |
225 | |
Acknowledgements | 235 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Abhirupa-Nanda Ambapali Ananda ancient arhat Aryan ascetic attained beautiful became become Bhadda Bhikkhuni Bimbisara birth body Brahmanic Buddha Buddha’s teaching Buddhist nuns Buddhist Women Capa Caroline Rhys Davids chapter child daughter death Dhammadinna Dhammapada Dharma dialogue disciple early Buddhist enlightenment father female forest harem homelessness husband I.B. Horner Indian Jain Kala Kasi Khema Khujjuttara King Kisagotami lived London Magandiya male Mara marriage meditation mind moon mother mythology Nikaya nirvana obsessions old age one’s ordained order of nuns Padumavati Pajapati Pali and Sanskrit Pali Text Society PaliCanon Patacara practice preach prostitutes Punnika Rajagaha realization religious renounce the world renunciant rules Sakyan Samavati Samyutta sangha Sanskrit Savatthi sexual Siddhartha Gautama sixth century b.c.e. Soma speaks truth spirit stanza stories and poems suffering Sundari T.W. Rhys Davids teacher Therigatha three knowledges tradition translation tree tree-spirit Uppalavanna Vasetthi Veda verses Vesali Vimala wandering wife wives woman words