Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī

Prajapati Gotami
Prince Siddhartha with Mahāprajāpatī Gotami
Personal life
Born	Prajāpatī Devadaha
Spouse	King Śuddhodana
Children	Sundari Nanda (daughter) Nanda (son) Siddhartha (foster son)
Parents	Añjana (father) Sulakkhanā (mother)
Occupation	Bhikṣuṇī
Relatives	Suppabuddha (brother) Yashodhara (daughter in law) Maya Devi (sister)
Religious life
Religion	Buddhism
Dharma name	Prajāpatī
Senior posting
Teacher	Gautama Buddha

Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī (Sanskrit: महाप्रजापती गौतमी; Pali: Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī) or simply Prajāpatī was the foster-mother, step-mother and maternal aunt (mother's sister) of the Buddha. Therefore, based on the Therī-apadāna (Mahāpajāpatigotamī-therīapadāna, Thi Ap 17), Gotamī is referred to by the title "Mother of the Buddha" (Pali: Buddhamātā). In Buddhist tradition, she was the first woman to seek ordination for women, which she did from Siddhartha Gautama directly, and she became the first bhikṣuṇī (Buddhist nun).

Depiction

Gotamī's story was widely distributed, with multiple versions existing. It is recorded in the various surviving Vinaya traditions, including the Pali Canon and Sarvastivada and Mulasarvastivada versions.

Past lives

According to the Theri-apadāna, Gotamī started on the path of the Dhamma in a past life, during the time of Padumuttara Buddha, when she was born to a wealthy family in Hamsavati. She witnessed Padumuttara Buddha place his aunt, a bhikkhuni, in a senior position, and aspired to achieve the same position after providing offerings to the Buddha and his followers for seven days. Padumuttara Buddha said she would achieve her aspiration under Gautama Buddha. She was later reborn in the Tavatimsa heaven as a god.

Gotamī then returned to the human realm as the leader of 500 female slaves. In that life, they encountered a group of 500 paccekabuddhas who had no huts for the duration of the rain retreat. Gotamī asked the 500 female slaves to provide food offerings and convinced their husbands to build huts for the rain retreat. Following the rain retreat, Gotamī had her followers prepare robes for the paccekabuddhas. In another rebirth, Gotamī is said to have given food alms to 500 paccekabuddhas near Varanasi. Gotamī and her followers continued to perform meritorious acts throughout their lives and were reborn as Tavatimsa gods. Gotamī's followers would follow her in each birth and attain liberation as bhikkhunis during the time of Gautama Buddha.

"Mother of the Buddha" title

In the Therī-apadāna (Mahāpajāpatigotamītherīapadāna, Thi Ap 17), a verse is attributed to Gotamī:

Through this verse, Gotamī states that although worldly titles such as "King's Mother" or "Chief Queen" are easily obtained by a woman, the title "Mother of the Buddha" (Pali: Buddhamātā) is an achievement that is exceptionally difficult to obtain. She expresses her gratitude that through the Buddha (whom she addresses as "Hero"), her highest aspiration has been fulfilled and all her goals have been accomplished.

Final life

Tradition says Maya and Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī were Koliyan princesses and sisters of Suppabuddha. Mahāpajāpatī was both the Buddha's maternal aunt and adoptive mother, raising him after her sister Maya, the Buddha's birth mother, died. She raised Siddhartha as if he were her own child.

An eminent Therī, Mahāpajāpatī was born at Devdaha as the younger sister of Māyā. Mahāpajāpatī was so called because, at her birth, augurs prophesied that she would have a large following. Both sisters married King Suddhodhana, leader of the Śākya. When Māyā died seven days after the birth of the Bodhisatta (the "Buddha-to-be"), Pajāpati looked after the Bodhisatta and nursed him. She raised the Buddha and had her own children, Siddhartha's half-sister Sundari Nanda and half-brother Nanda.

Ordination of the first woman

When King Suddhodhana died, Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī decided to attain ordination. Gotamī went to the Buddha and asked to be ordained into the Sangha three times. The Buddha refused and went on to Vesāli. Undaunted, Gotamī cut off her hair and donned yellow robes and with 500 princesses, 250 from the Sakyan kingdom and 250 from the Koliyan kingdom followed the Buddha to Vesāli on foot. Upon arrival, Gotamī stood crying at the entrance of the Buddha's residence. Ananda, one of the principal disciples and an attendant of the Buddha, met her and offered to intercede with the Buddha on her behalf. Ananda was refused the first two times and asked the following in this third attempt:

Respectfully he questioned the Buddha, "Lord, are women capable of realising the various stages of sainthood as nuns?"

"They are, Ananda," said the Buddha.

"If that is so, Lord, then it would be good if women could be ordained as nuns," said Ananda, encouraged by the Buddha's reply.

"If, Ananda, Maha Pajapati Gotami would accept the Eight Conditions it would be regarded that she has been ordained already as a nun."

Gotamī agreed to accept the Eight Garudhammas and was accorded the status of the first bhikkhuni. Subsequent women had to undergo full ordination to become nuns.

Gotamī died at the age of 120.

References

Bibliography

• Anālayo, Bhikkhu (2011). "Mahapajapati's going forth in the Madhyama agama" (PDF). Journal of Buddhist Ethics. 18: 268–317. ISSN 1076-9005.
• Anālayo, Bhikkhu (2016). "The Going Forth of Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī in T 60" (PDF). Journal of Buddhist Ethics. 23: 1–31. ISSN 1076-9005.
• Garling, Wendy (2016). Stars at Dawn: Forgotten Stories of Women in the Buddha's Life. Shambhala Publications. ISBN 978-1-61180-265-8.
• Garling, Wendy (2021). The Woman Who Raised the Buddha: The Extraordinary Life of Mahaprajapati. Shambhala Publications. ISBN 978-1611806694.
• Scott, Rachel M. (2010). "Buddhism, miraculous powers, and gender - rethinking the stories of Theravada nuns". Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies. 33 (1–2): 489–511.
• Tsomo, Karma Lekshe (2004). "Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī". In Buswell, Robert E. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Macmillan Reference USA. pp. 489–490. ISBN 0-02-865718-7.
• Walters, Jonathan S. (1994). "A Voice from the Silence: The Buddha's Mother's Story". History of Religions. 33 (4): 350–379. doi:10.1086/463377. JSTOR 1062715.
• Amatayakul, Supakwadee; Satha-Anand, Suwanna (2023). "Mahapajapati Gotami महाप्रजापती गौतमी Circa Sixth–Seventh Centuries BCE". In Waithe, Mary Ellen; Boos Dykeman, Therese (eds.). Women Philosophers from Non-western Traditions: The First Four Thousand Years. Cham: Springer International Publishing. pp. 89–101. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-28563-9. ISBN 978-3-031-28563-9. Retrieved 2024-06-02.

Further reading

• Blackstone, Kathryn R. (1998). Women in the Footsteps of the Buddha: Struggle for Liberation in the Therīgāthā. Curzon Press. ISBN 9781136805769.
• Horner, Isaline Blew (1975). Women under Primitive Buddhism: Laywomen and Almswomen. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 9780842609555.
• Walters, Jonathan S. (1995). "Gotami's Story". In Lopez, Donald S. (ed.). Buddhism in Practice. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691044415.

External links

• Maha Pajapati (Gotami) Theri: A Mother's Blessing
• Mahāpajāpatī Gotami