Khuddaka Nikaya - Buddhavamsa - The Story of Uppalavanna Theri

Khuddaka Nikaya - Buddhavamsa - The Story of Uppalavanna Theri

The Great Chronicle of The Buddhas
by Mingun Sayadaw

Edited and Translated by
U Ko Lay and U Tin Lwin
Yangon, Myanmar

(a) The past aspiration of the Theri

The Future-Uppalavanna Theri was born into a worthy family in the city of Hamsavati during the time of Padumutara Buddha. On one occasion she listened to a discourse by the Buddha in the midst of a big audience, where she saw the Buddha name a Bhikkhuni as the foremost Bhikkhuni among those endowed with supernormal powers. She

aspired to become such a great bhikkhuni in the future and she made an extraordinary offering to the Buddha and the Samgha for seven days. At the end of seven days she placed seven bunches of lotus flowers at the feet of the Buddha as her tribute and expressed her aspiration for the title of the foremost Bhikkhuni among those endowed with supernormal powers. Padumuttara Buddha prophesied that her aspiration would be fulfilled.

Offering of Lotus Flowers to a Paccekabuddha.

After passing away from that existence which was marked by a lifelong dedication to the Buddha and the Samgha, she was reborn in the Tavatimsa deva realm. Next she was reborn in the human world when she offered lotus flowers and alms-food to a Paccekabuddha.

In her existence as the daughter of a rich man

Ninety-one world-cycles previous to the present world-cycle there arose Vipassi Buddha during which period the Future-Uppalavanna Theri was born into a Rich Man's family in Baranasi. She invited the Buddha and the Samgha to her place, made an extraordinary offering, and making a gift of lotus flowers to Vipassi Buddha, she mentally wished for personal charm in her future existences.

In her existence as a daughter of King Kiki

After passing away from that existence which too was marked by meritorious deeds, the rich man's daughter was reborn as a deva, and she alternated between deva and human existence. During the time of Kassapa Buddha. in the present world-cycle, she became the second of the seven daughters of King kiki in Baranasi by the name of Princess Samanagutta. In that existence she, like her second eldest sister, the future Khema Theri remained a spinster for life which lasted twenty- thousand years. They donated a monastic complex for the Samgha. At her death she was reborn in the deva realm again.

In her existence as Ummadanti

After passing away from the deva realm she was born into a worthy family in the human world. During that existence she donated a gold-coloured piece of cloth to an Arahat, bhikkhu disciple of Kassapa Buddha (For details see Ummadanti Jataka)

She passed away from that existence to be reborn as Ummadanti, the exquisitely beautiful daughter of a rich Brahmin named Tiritivaccha in Aritthapura in the Province of Sivi (For details see Ummadani Jataka, pannasa nipata).

In her existence as a watch woman in the field.

Her next existence was as the daughter of a farmer in a small village. Early one morning, as she went to the farm house she found in a pond on her way a freshly blooming lotus-flower. She went into the pond and plucked it. At the farm house she gathered some ears of rice and roasted the rice into pop corn which she counted up to five hundred. She put the pop corn in a lotus leaf gathered from the pond.

At that moment a Paccekabuddha, after rising from his dwelling in the attainment of cessation, came by way of the air and stood not far away from the farmer's daughter. The girl saw him, Went to the farm house to get the pop corn and the lotus flowers, and then she put the pop corn into the Paccekabuddha's alms-bowel, covered it with the lotus flower, and offered it to the Paccekabuddha.

After the Paccekabuddha had gone awhile, she thought, a Paccekabuddha has no use with a flower; perhaps I should get it back and wear it."She made a few steps towards the Paccekabuddha on his way and then asked back the lotus flower. But then she pondered. "Well, if the Paccekabuddha did not want my gift of the flower he would have refused to accept it at the beginning. Now that he allowed me to put it on his alms-bowl he must have liked it as a gift." So thinking, she placed the flower back to the alms-bowl again. (For this wavering act her future existences, as we shall see, were marked by mixed fortunes.)

Having thus made a gift; again, of the lotus flower, and admitting her fault for taking it back earlier, she expressed her wish, "Venerable Sir, for offering this pop corn my I be blessed with five hundred sons in my future existence, the number of pop-corn flowers that make up my gift.

Further, for my gift of the lotus flower may lotus flowers rise up from the earth to receive every step I make in my future existence!"

(According to the life history of Uppalavana, while the farmer's daughter was making her offerings to the Paccekabuddha, five hundred farm workers watching the field offered some honey to the Paccekabuddha and made their wish that in their future existence they be reborn as the sons (five hundred of them all) of the young lady.)

The Paccekabuddha then rose to the sky even while the girl was watching him and returned to Gandamadana mountain. There he placed the lotus flowers at the entrance to Nandamula Cave for use by all Paccekabuddhas as a door-mat at the foot of the flight of steps.

In the existence as Queen Padumadevi

As the result of that good deed when the girl passed away from that existence she was reborn, by instantaneous full-grown birth, as a deva. There in her own existence a lotus flower arose from the earth at her foot at every step she made. When she passed away from the deva existence she was reborn in the human world from a lotus flower in a big lake of lotus flowers at the foot of a mountain. A recluse made his dwelling nearby. Early one morning he went to the lake to wash his face and saw a lotus flower in bud which was already bigger than other buds but while the other buds had opened up their petals into full bloom this bud remained in bud. He thought it strange and so went into the water and plucked it.

In his hand the big bud opened up its petals and inside there he saw a female child lying. He felt a curious sense of paternal love for the child. He took her to the hermitage along with the lotus flower, and put her on a small cot. Thanks to the past merits of the girl, milk oozed out from the big thumb of the recluse with which he nursed her. When the first lotus flower that she lay on became withered a new lotus flower was placed underneath her.

When the young girl could walk and romp about there arose from the earth a lotus flower under her feet wherever she went. She had a saffron-coloured complexion. Her personal charm was super-human and would nearly equal that of a celestial maiden. Since she was gotten from the lotus her foster father, the good recluse, named her Padumavati (Miss Lotus). When the recluse went out in search of fruit she was left-alone at the hermitage.

Padumavatr becomes a Queen

When Padumavati came of age, one day during the absence of the recluse, out on fruit gathering, a hunter who happened to come to the hermitage saw her and thought, "There is no human being on earth as beautiful as this girl. I must find out what she is." And so he awaited the return of the recluse. When the recluse was seen coming the girl went out to meet him, took the yoke (laden with fruits) and the water pot from him, got her foster father seated, and attended on him lovingly.

The hunter was now sure that the girl was in fact a human being, and after paying homage to the recluse sat there. The recluse gave him fruits and water, then asked him, "Are you going to stay in the forest or, are you going back to your home?"

The hunter said, "I have no business in the future, Sir, I am going back to my home."

"Could you keep this experience of your meeting with the girl to yourself without letting anyone know about it?"

"If you would rather not let others know about this, Sir, why should I tell others?" But he said this merely to please his kind host. On his return after paying respect to the recluse, he carefully carved out the trees and arranged some branches along his way to the hermitage so as to recognize his path.

And back at the city, he went to see the king who asked the purpose of his visit. He said, "Great King, I am your humble servant, a hunter. I come to report to you the presence of a most remarkable woman in the forest at the foot of the mountain who would surely be an asset for Your Majesty." He explained the circumstance of his discovery to the king. The king was deeply interested. He marched for the foot of the mountain without losing time. Having encamped at a place not far away from the hermitage, he awaited till the recluse had finished his meal and went to see the recluse accompanied by a few courtiers. The recluse was then sitting in his hermitage where the king greeted him, exchanged courteous words and sat in a suitable place.

The king made offering to the recluse articles used by recluse. And then as a 'feeler' he said, "Venerable Sir, what is the use of living here? Let us go to the city." "I am not going, Great King, said the recluse. "You may go" To which the king said, "Very well, Venerable Sir, but I am given to understand that there is a woman in your company. It is not proper for a woman to be living in the company of a recluse. I would request that the woman be allowed to go with me.

To this direct request made by the king the recluse replied, "It is not easy for one to please many people. How could my daughter fit in with the court life with its many queens and ladies in waiting?"

The king allayed the fears of the recluse, saying, "Venerable Sir, if I (am allowed to marry her and) have given my love to her I will make her my Chief Queen."

Thereupon the recluse called to his child, as he usually addressed her since childhood, Padumavati, my little girl!" Young Padumavati promptly responded, she came out of the hermitage and, saluting her father, stood before him, who said, "Dear girl, you have come of age. From the moment the king has cast his eyes on you, you should not stay here any longer. Go along with the king, my little girl."

"Very well, dear father," she said, weeping, and still standing.

The King of Baranasi wishing to prove his sincerity, showered Padumavati with gold, silver and jewellery and anointed her as his Chief Queen there and then.

Queen Padumavati dominates the King's heart and becomes a victim of Court Intrigue.

At the court of Baranasi the King's heart was captivated by the Chief Queen so much so that since her arrival there all the other queens and ladies-in-waiting were totally neglected by the King. The women folk felt bitter about it and they tried to undermine the King's affection for the Chief Queen, saying, "Great King, Padumavati is not a human being. Where on earth have you ever seen a human being whose every step is received by a lotus flower arising from the earth? She is a demon, for sure. She is dangerous. She ought to be banished forthwith." The King did not say anything.

At another time when the king was called away by duty to suppress a rising at the remote part of the kingdom he had to leave behind Padumavati at the palace, knowing that she was pregnant. The women folk at court seized this opportunity to strike. They bribed Padumavati's attendant into a wicked plot. She was instructed to remove the infant when the Chief Queen gave birth to her child and replace it with a piece of wood smeared with blood.

When Padumavati delivered the child Prince Maha Paduma was the real offspring that she gave birth to as he was the only child conceived in her womb. The other sons, four hundred and ninety-nine of them, arose from the drops of her blood splattered about at child birth. The attendant duly carried out her instruction and informed the news of the Chief Queen's delivery to the other queens. The five hundred women folk at the court stole one child each while their mother was still asleep after her labour. Then they ordered five hundred wooden caskets made by turners to put each child. They placed them inside the caskets, and put seals on each.

When Queen Padumavati woke up and asked her assistant about her child, the latter frowned and retorted, "Where did you ever get a child'? This is what you have delivered," and produced the piece of wood smeared with blood. The Queen was very unhappy and asked her to put it away quickly. The woman quickly complied as if eager to safeguard the Queen's honour by splitting up the piece of wood and throwing it into the fireplace in the kitchen.

The King returned from his expedition and was camping outside the city awaiting the auspicious time according to astrological calculation. The women folk went to greet the king there and pressed their case for banishing Queen Padumavati. "Great King, you did not believe our word about the Chief Queen But now ask the assistant of Queen Padumavati who had given birth to a block of wood!" The King, without investigating about the matter, believed that Padumavati was a demon and ordered her banishment.

Padumavati's star was now on the wane. As she was banished from the palace no lotus flowers appeared underneath her feet. Her good looks left her. She took the road, feeling forlorn. When an old woman saw her she had an instinctive affection for her and said. "Where are you going, my daughter?" Padumavati replied, "O mother, I am looking for some place for shelter" The old woman said, "In that case: my daughter, come with me to my house," and taking her home, fed her and put her up there.

The Court intrigue comes to light

When Padumavati was staying at the old woman's house the women folk at the court said to the king in one voice "O Great King, when you were on your military expedition we had invoked the guardian spirit of the Ganga river for your success and promised him to make offerings on your victorious return. So let the king and all of us go to the Ganga river, make offerings to the river spirit and have fun bathing in the river."; the king gladly consented and they all went to the river.

The five hundred women of the court secretly carried the caskets with babies in them and went into the water with their garments on, underneath which were the hidden caskets. Once in the river, they floated down the caskets in the river. The five hundred caskets collected together in the current, floated down together, and were caught in fishermen's net cast at down-stream. After the king had finished bathing in the river the fishermen raised up their net from the water and to their great surprise found the five hundred caskets, which they presented to the king. The king asked them "What do the caskets contain'?" And they answered, "We do not know what is inside them, Great King, we only believed them to be something strange." When the five hundred caskets were opened under the king's orders, the first one to be opened happened to contain Prince Mahapaduma.

The past merit of the five hundred princelings was such that from the day of their confinement in the caskets, milk flowed from their thumbs to nourish them. Sakka also cleared the doubts in the king's mind by inscribing inside the caskets the message.

"These babies are born of Queen Padumavati and are the sons of the King of Baranasi. They have been put inside the caskets by the five hundred queens and their accomplices who bore a grudge against the Chief Queen and have been thrown into the river. Let the king of Baranasi know these facts.

The king, being thus enlightened, took up Prince Mahapaduma, and ordered, O men, harness the chariots and dress up the horses quickly! I shall now go into the city and show my love to some women folk." So saying, he rode post haste into the city, entered his palace, and ordered the royal elephant fitted out for a tour of the land with (a velvet bag of) a thousand ticals tied at the neck of the elephant, and ordered the proclamation read aloud to all the people announcing that whoever has seen Queen Padumavati may take the king's award of one thousand ticals.

Padumavati, on hearing the proclamation, said to the old women, "Mother, take that one thousand from the neck of the royal elephant!" The old women said, "O daughter, I dare not do it " Padumavati urged her twice, thrice to do so. Then the old lady said, "O daughter, what should I say in taking the award? Just say, mother, 'I have seen Queen Padumavati?" The old lady then made herself bold to claim the award. The king's men asked her, "Have you actually seen Queen Padumavati" "I have not seen her myself, " she said, "but my daughter has."

"Where is your daughter now?" the men asked. And they were let to her house by the old lady. They recognized their queen and prostrated themselves before her. The old lady, seeing only now the real identity of the young woman, affectionately chided her "This noble lady has been so reckless. Notwithstanding her eminent position as the Chief Queen she had chosen to live unattended in such a lowly place,"

The king's men then made an enclosure of white cloth around the humble house she was staying, posted guards around it, and reported their discovery of the Chief Queen to the king. The king sent a golden palanquin to her. Padumavati however insisted that she deserved more ceremony on returning to the palace. She had a canopied walk decorated with gold stars set up all along her way to the palace with exquisite carpets. She also demanded that her regal paraphernalia be sent to her. "I am walking there," she said, "Let my greatness be seen by all the citizens." The king ordered every wish of the Chief Queen complied with. Then Queen Padumavati outfitted with full regalia, announced. "I am now going to the palace." Thereupon every step she made was greeted by a lotus flower which arose from the earth through the exquisite carpets. Thus letting all the people witness her greatness, she entered the palace. After that she gave the rich carpets to the old lady as taken of the gratitude she owed to her.

The Magnanimity of Queen Padumavati

The king summoned the five hundred women folk at court and said to Queen Padumavati, "My Queen, I give these five hundred women as slaves to you " The Queen said, "O King let the whole city know about this giving of the five hundred ladies to me." The king had the fact of this assignment of the five hundred women to Queen Padumavati proclaimed throughout the city by the beat of the gong. Having been satisfied with the public knowledge of the assignment, Queen Padumavati said to the king, "Great King, do I have the authority of emancipating my own slaves?" To which the king replied, "O Queen, you have the right to do whatever you wish with them." "In that case, O King," she said, "Let those men who had made the proclamation of the assignment made another round of the proclamation to the effect that all the five hundred slaves assigned to Queen Padumavati are hereby granted their freedom by the Queen." Then the Queen entrusted the 499 princelings to the care of the emancipated women, she took charge of looking after Prince Mahapaduma.

The five hundred Princess become Paccekabuddhas.

When the five hundred princelings were of playing age the King provided all sort of things in the royal gardens for the boys to play with. When they were of sixteen years of age, one day while they were playing in the royal lakes, where the paduma lotus were growing in profusion they observed the opening up of the lotus flowers as well as the withering away and dropping off of old flowers which, thanks to their acquisition of sufficient merit, struck their young hearts as a phenomenon worth reflecting on And this was how they reflected.

"Even these lotus flowers dependent only on temperature and nutrient are subject to ageing, how could our bodies, dependent on four factors (kamma, mind, temperature and nutrient) escape the same fate (i.e., we are likewise subject to ageing and death.)"

They reflected deeply on that phenomena (of impermanence of conditioned existence), gained insight into the nature of mind and body, and won Enlightenment on their own, without being taught by any other one. This is called Paccekabodhi Nana leading to the four Ariya Path-Knowledge. In other words, they became Paccekabuddhas. Then rising from their original seats, they each sat cross-legged on a lotus flower by means of their supernormal powers.

Late in the evening the attendants of the princelings reminded them, "O Lords, it is time to go home." The five Paccekabuddhas did not say anything. So the men went to the palace and reported the matter to the king - how the princess remained silent, all of them sitting on the lotus flowers. The king merely said, "Let my sons remain as they wish."

The five hundred Paccekabuddhas were placed under guard during the whole night, as they remained sitting on the flowers. It now dawned. And the attendants went near them and said to them, "O princes, it is time to go home" Then the princess who were Paccekabuddhas said, "We are no more princes; we are called Paccekabuddhas." The men were sceptical, and said, "You say in an irresponsible way. Paccekabuddhas are not like you. They have only two finger-breadths of hair and moustache or beard, they have recluse's paraphernalia on them. But you have your princely garb on, with long hair and moustaches, and with regal paraphernalia on you. How could you say you are Paccekabuddhas?" (The attendants were describing the Paccekabuddha as they knew it to be.) Thereupon the princes passed their hands on their heads, and lo! their appearance turned into Paccekabuddhas fully equipped with the eight essential pieces of equipment of a bhikkhu (Paccekabuddha). And while the people were looking at them they rose to the air and went in the direction of Gandamadana mountain.

The Future-Uppalavanna Theri in her existence as a farm hand.

Queen Padumavati, after enjoying deep satisfaction on regaining her five hundred sons, was now shocked for her sudden loss of the beloved youths. She did not survive the shock. After passing away from that existence she was reborn as a woman into a family of labourers in a village near a city gate in Rajagaha. She got married, and went to live with her husband's family. One day while she was carrying some gruel for her husband who was working in the field she saw eight of the five hundred Paccekabuddhas travelling by way of the air. She went quickly to her husband and said, "O Lord, look at those Paccekabuddhas! Let us invite them to an offering of alms food." But the husband who was a simpleton did not know what a Paccekabuddha meant. He said to her, "Dear wife, they are called flying bhikkhus (lit, 'bhikkhu-birds') They are also found in other places (at other times also, Sri Lankan version) flying about. They are not Paccekabuddhas they are just (strange) birds."

As the couple were discussing thus, the eight Paccekabuddhas descended to the ground not far away from them. The wife offered her share of the meal for the day to the eight Paccekabuddhas and invited them for the next days offerings. The Paccekabuddhas said, "Very well, lay female supporter, let your offerings be for eight donees only. And let your accommodation be for eight invitees only. When you see many other Paccekabuddhas besides ourselves your devotion will grow even greater." And the woman (who in her previous existence had been the mother of the Paccekabuddhas,) prepared eight seats and offerings for eight Paccekabuddhas.

The eight invitees said to the remaining Paccekabuddhas, "Do not go elsewhere today for alms-food, but bestow welfare to your mother of previous existence " Those other Paccekabuddhas agreed, and all the five hundred of them went through the sky to their former mothers' place. The mother in her past existence who had got an inkling of seeing all the five hundred sons, now Paccekabuddhas, did not have any worry about the insufficiency of her offerings. She invited all the five hundred into her house and offered eight seats. When the eight had taken their seats the ninth Paccekabuddha created through his supernormal powers another eight seats and sat there, and so on to the last of the five hundred who got seats, the house having been expanded through their supernormal powers.

The farm labourer, the mother in the previous existence, who had prepared alms food for eight donees went on serving it to all the five hundred as much as needed by them. Then she brought eight stalks of lotus flowers, and placing them before the original eight invitees, offered them, saying, "Venerable Sirs, for this act of merit, may I be born with a complexion like the colour of the inside of the pollen chamber of this brown lotus." The five hundred Paccekabuddhas said complimentary words for her good deed, and went back to Gandamadana mountain by way of the sky.

(b) Taking up the life of a Bhikkhuni in her last existence

The farm hand lived a life full of meritorious deeds and at the end of her life span was reborn in the deva world. During the time of Gotama Buddha she was born into the family of a rich man in Savatthi. She was born with a complexion like the inner side of the pollen chamber of the brown lotus and hence was named Uppalavanna. When she came of age all the worthy families - Rich men and Princes of the whole of the Southern Island Continent asked her father to give Uppalavanna in marriage to their sons.

The Rich man was in a quandary. He did not know how to reply to the great many proposals of all those worthy men. He did not wish to disappoint them. So, as a possible way of escape from the insoluble problem, he asked his daughter, Dear daughter, would you become a Bhikkhuni." Now, Uppalavanna, being the bearer of the last burden of sentient existence, was extremely delighted to hear those words, just as rarefied scented oil refined a hundred times over were poured down her head. "Yes, father, I would become a Bhikkhuni," she replied gladly.

The Rich man sent her daughter Uppalavanna to the bhikkhunis' monastery after paying great honour to her. Uppalavanna became a bhikkhuni. Not soon after she got her turn at the monastery to tidy up and light up the outside of the Sima, the congregation hall. There she observed the flame arising in a lamp which she used as her subject of meditation. She concentrated on the element of Heat in that flame, and achieved concentration (Jhana). Basing that concentration as object of insight meditation, (through contemplating the three characteristics of physical and mental phenomena she gained insight into conditioned phenomena) and soon attained Arahatship. As the result of her past aspiration to be outstanding in supernormal powers, she became endowed with facility in jhanic practice which is the essential asset in bringing into effect supernormal powers.

Uppalavanna Theri was the Foremost Bhikkhuni

On the day when Uppalavanna Theri displayed her miraculous powers during the year of the Buddha's seventh year of Enlightenment. Before doing so, she first said to the Buddha, "Venerable Sir, may the Bhagava allow me to display my miraculous powers," (For details of this bold undertaking on her part, see the great Chronicle Volume Three) Referring to this, the Buddha, on another occasion when outstanding Bhikkhunis were honoured at a congregation, declared,

"Bhikkhus, among my bhikkhuni disciples endowed with supernormal powers, bhikkhuni Uppalavanna is the foremost

(Here ends the story of Uppalavanna Theri)