REMEMBERING AND CELEBRATING AN ESSENTIAL PILLAR OF THE BUDDHIST SANGHA: International Bikkhuni Day 2024, twenty-three foremost female disciples of Buddha and an overview of research and transcripts connected to nuns

“At that moment, Prajāpatī made her first request to Buddha: “If women have the opportunity to achieve the four results of the spiritual way, then please allow women to go forth, become ordained nuns, and practice chaste conduct/celibacy in the Buddhist sangha.”

“In order to uphold the Buddhist teachings it is necessary to have the fourfold community (fully ordained monks (gelongs), fully ordained nuns (gelongmas), and both male and female lay precept holders). As the Buddha said, the fourfold community are the four pillars of the Buddhist teachings. This is the reason why I’m taking interest in this.” –17th Karmapa—17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Today the full moon of 18th September 2024, marks what is known as “International Bikkhuni Day”, a day which marks the foundation of the female monastic sangha by the first Buddhist nun, Buddha’s step-mother, Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī.

The four-fold Buddhist community includes men (monks and lay) and women (nuns and lay). They are all considered an essential and equal part of the Buddhist community.

Twenty-three foremost female disciples (nuns and laywomen) of Gautama Buddha

Many people know of Buddha’s best male monastic disciples, but not about his twenty-three foremost female disciples, who all attained Arhatship. As I wrote about in an article about one of those disciples, Bhaddā Kāpilānī, foremost at remembering past lives:

The names of women listed as Buddha’s best students, both nuns and householders, are listed in the Pañcama Vagga and Chaṭṭha Vagga of the Aṅguttara Nikāya[i] respectively.

Foremost of nuns:

1. Foremost in seniority: Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī
2. Foremost in great wisdom: Khemā
3. Foremost in psychic power: Uppalavaṇṇā
4. Foremost in memorizing the Vinaya: Paṭācārā
5. Foremost in speaking the Dhamma: Dhammadinna
6. Foremost in absorption: Sundari Nandā
7. Foremost in energy: Soṇā
8. Foremost in clairvoyance: Sakulā
9. Foremost in swift insight: Bhaddā Kuṇḍalakesā
10. Foremost in recollecting past lives: Bhaddā Kāpilānī
11. Foremost in great insight: Bhaddakaccānā
12. Foremost in wearing coarse robes: Kisāgotamī
13. Foremost in faith: Siṅgālakamātā

Foremost of laywomen

1. Foremost in first going for refuge: Sujātā Seniyadhītā
2. Foremost as donor: Visākhā
3. Foremost in learning: Khujjuttarā
4. Foremost who dwells in metta: Sāmāvatī
5. Foremost in absorption: Uttarānandamātā
6. Foremost in giving fine things: Suppavāsā Koliyadhītā
7. Foremost in caring for the sick: Suppiyā
8. Foremost in experiential confidence: Kātiyānī
9. Foremost in reliability: Nakulamātā
10. Foremost in confidence based on oral transmission: Kāḷī of Kuraraghara

Still inequality and an ‘old boys club’ but improving

Even though the Buddhist traditions are still predominantly patriarchal, with male-dominated conference panels, as I wrote about in Where Were the Women at the Global Buddhist Summit in Delhi last year, and again this year in Pictures speak a thousand words: Was the International Sangha Forum event in Bodh Gaya another “old boy’s club” event? . As well as issue of women not being able to take full ordination and Buddhist temples in Thailand where women are banned from entry due to local beliefs about menstruation being ‘dirty‘.

Articles and transcripts on nuns

Here are just a few of the articles and transcripts I have written about and some of Buddha’s most well-known female sangha, such as Arya Kshema. and nuns from the Theravadan, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, as well as efforts to restore full ordination for the nuns in the Tibetan Buddhist/Vajrayana traditions.

May the nuns tradition flourish and prosper with full equality and respect as Buddha intended.

Music? Mother of Wisdom Prajnaparamita mantra by Imee Ooi.

Original Buddhism and the Buddha’s best female students

THE AMAZING JOURNEY AND LEGACY OF MOTHER OF BUDDHA AND THE FEMALE SANGHA, MAHĀPRAJĀPATĪ: A Buddhist canon textual analysis of how Mahāprajāpatī, step-mother of the Buddha, with the help of Ānanda, became the first fully ordained Buddhist nun along with hundreds of other women, and the challenges Ānanda faced due to his relations with women (17th Karmapa, Day 8, 2022)

THE ‘GOLDEN GODDESS’ NUN WHOM BUDDHA SAID WAS BEST AT RECOLLECTING PREVIOUS LIVES AND ATTAINED ARHATSHIP: BHADDA-KAPILANI. Introduction to Bhaddā Kāpilānī’s life-story, previous lives and excellent qualities.

The power of a woman’s devotion: Utpalavarṇā, the first to greet Buddha’s Descent from the Heavens (Lhabab Duchen)

THE ‘FAT JOYFUL’ NUN, STHULANANDA: ‘BADDEST-BALDIE’ IN THE VINAYA OR ‘BAD-ASS’ PROTO-FEMINIST? Early Buddhist nun, Sthūlanandā’s ‘badness’ challenging male monastic privilege or a powerful symbol of the futile ‘trappings’ of following rules without real, inner transformation

 BUDDHA THE RADICAL REVOLUTIONARY AND FEMINIST: When Royalty Bowed to Lower Castes and Women became Fully-Ordained Sangha (from Origins of Secret Mantra 2022, Day 12 by 17th Karmapa)

BRAVEHEART BUDDHA: Women and lower castes as ‘foremost’ disciples, colloquial language teachings, ‘six requisites’ of monastics and the all-male ‘first council’ (Origins of Secret Mantra 2022, Day 13 by 17th Karmapa)

Theravadan nuns

‘BLEEDING’ WOMEN AND ‘WHAT MERIT REALLY MEANS’: On the issue of ‘Man-only’ public temples, fully ordained (Bikkhuni) Thai nuns, the thriving nunnery, Wat Nirodharam and an exclusive interview with a Thai Bikkhuni nun (Scenes from Chiang Mai Part II)

Tibetan Buddhist nuns in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions

Milarepa’s Female Disciples: Rechungma’s Song ‘Fifteen Realisations’

THE LIFE AND ‘SOUL’ OF YESHE TSOGYEL. As woman, disciple, consort and dákini; and contemporary female empowerment in Tibet. Interview with Dr. Jue Liang (Dakini Conversations, Ep.5)

WHERE ARE THE GELONGMAS? DISCOVERING HIDDEN TREASURES: THE RARE GEMS OF LIVING TIBETAN BUDDHIST FULLY ORDAINED NUNS. A Pilgrimage and Field Study of Two Nunneries in Himachal Pradesh and fully ordained nuns within the Tibetan tradition.

GOLDEN OFFERING FROM A WEALTHY NUN: THE 8TH KARMAPA’S COLLECTED WORKS: EDITIONS AND CONTENTS. Handwritten edition by 8th Karmapa, Outline edition by 5th Zhamarpa, 16th Century golden manuscript edition sponsored by wealthy nun, and contemporary editions

INNER HEAT YOGINIS ON THE ICY-COLD LADAKHI MOUNTAINS: The ‘Gawa Khilwa’ Drugpa Kagyu nun yoginis in Ladakh, videos and photos shared by Gyalwang Drugpa head

LADAKH TRILOGY (PART III): THE DRUGPA (DRAGON) KAGYU IN LADAKH. Tiger’s Nose (Stakna) Monastery, a cathartic Lama Chopa puja, Tibetan History and masters: past and present, the Bhutanese connection, current activities/teachers and the Kung Fu cycling nuns

DANCE AND DRUMS OF THE DAKINIS: Review of the Lhabab Duchen event at DGL nunnery, a fitting celebration empowering women

BUDDHISM, PATRIARCHY AND FEMINISM: Two feminist icons, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo and Gloria Steinem on patriarchal religious sexism and inequality, the annual Arya Kshema event in Bodh Gaya and new Drugpa Kagyu Khenmos

AN EMANATION OF NOBLE TĀRĀ: The amazing life and activities of Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo (Dakini Conversations podcast, Ep.6)

 ‘Actions Speak Louder than Words’: 17th Karmapa’s outstanding activities for females 

“A few years ago, I invited a sangha of Bhikṣus from Taiwan to the sacred site of Bodh Gaya to give the novice nun vows, I performed that activity and it turned out well. In the future as well, when the epidemic is over and we all can travel easily again, I would like to invite a Bhikṣuṇī sangha from another country again to continue to do this.”–17th Karmapa