Who was Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī?

Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī was the Buddha's aunt and foster mother. She was also the first woman to be ordained as a Buddhist nun, a bhikkhunī, and she led the first community of nuns. Her story is one of the most important in the history of women in Buddhism.

The Buddha's foster mother

According to tradition, Mahāpajāpatī was the younger sister of Queen Māyā, the Buddha's mother. Māyā died a few days after giving birth, and Mahāpajāpatī, who was also married to King Suddhodana, raised the young Siddhartha as her own son. In the texts, the Buddha later acknowledges how much she did for him, and she says how much she owes to him for showing her the path.

Asking to be ordained

After the death of Suddhodana, Mahāpajāpatī asked the Buddha to allow women to go forth into homelessness, as men could. The texts say he declined more than once. She did not give up. With a large group of Sakyan women, she cut off her hair, put on robes and walked a long distance to where the Buddha was staying. She arrived with swollen feet, covered in dust and in tears.

Ānanda saw her and spoke to the Buddha on her behalf. He asked whether women who went forth could realise the fruits of the path, including full awakening. The Buddha said that they could. He then agreed to ordain her, on condition that she accept eight special rules, called the garudhammā, which placed the nuns in a respectful relationship to the monks. She accepted, and the order of nuns began.

Different readings of the story

Scholars and practitioners read this account in different ways. Some see the hesitation and the eight rules as reflecting the society of the time. Others question whether every detail is early. The central point that the texts make clear is that the Buddha affirmed women's full capacity for awakening.

Her awakening and her verses

Mahāpajāpatī became an arahant, a fully awakened person. The Therīgāthā, the "verses of the elder nuns", includes a poem attributed to her. In it she expresses gratitude to the Buddha for her freedom from suffering.

Her place today

Mahāpajāpatī is honoured as the founder of the nuns' order, which continues in East Asia and is being revived in some Theravada and Tibetan communities. Many women in Buddhism look to her courage and persistence as an example.