Therigatha

Poems of Early Buddhist Nuns

By: K. R. Norman - translator, C. R.F. Rhys Davids

Narrated by: Jinananda, Vishvantara

This remarkable collection of 73 verses contained in the 'Khuddaka Nikaya' section of the Pali Canon dates from the BC 6th century. It is said to be the earliest voices of women in recorded history. The verses, some brief, some more extended, are the utterances of the bhikkhunis, the nuns at the time of the Buddha, concerning their life and their ‘awakening’.

Often they give a penetrating insight to the life of women in ancient India: high-ranking members of courts, courtesans, wives of merchants and farmers - women from all social levels who left their homes to follow the spiritual life as forest renunciants.

This recording also includes the personal histories of many of the individuals written by the 6th century CE monk Dharmapala who had access to sources which are now lost. Among these individuals are some famous bhikkhunis whose stories are more widely known, including Kisagotami (and the mustard seed), Mahapajapati Gotami (the first woman to request ordination from the Buddha), and Dhammadinna (once praised by the Buddha for her Dhamma talk).

©1971 The Pali Text Society (P)2015 Ukemi Productions Ltd

good in the beginning, middle, and end

delivery: 10/10. this publisher generally has high quality recordings, but the dual male/female readers worked in perfect synchronicity

content: the book begins with short, single verse poems that are much like capping poems from koan/zen literature but with clearer reference to the ideas of theravada Buddhism

impact: this is one of the best reinforcers of theravada Buddhist thought I have ever found. there's a lot of repition, but very often new and great stories are told.

criticism: near the end the poems become long, and some are just verified stories told completely from the nun's perspective. these are still good, but they lack the punctual essence of many of the earlier poems. probably derived from or related to material that could have been (or was) included in other collections of literature

in short: of you want some excellent contemplations on the transience of life, the umpire nature of the body, and the lack of a permanent self - this is a must have. even fans of ancient philosophy outside of Buddhist study would benefit

Wonderful!

Loved it, one of the best delights. A great combination of story, poetry, and teaching! Buddhist teaching delivered via presumably historical characters.