Buddhist Women Saints of India (Awarded Griffith Memorial Prize for 1997 by Calcutta University)- An Old and Rare Book

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Women of India occupy high position in the society throughout the ages from the Vedic period down to the Buddha and afterwards; whether as faithful wife and spiritual companion of husband, as dignified mother of heroic sons or as obedient daughters. Indian women are ideal and full of respect and veneration. They not only conduct their household life but also devote themselves to search for truth and advancement of spiritual life. Women like Maitreyi and Gargi and others preferred intellectual and the spiritual gain to material property. In the book "Buddhist Women Saints of India" Dr. Bela Bhattacharya has depicted life and contribution of prominent women of India from Vedic period to Jataka age and also Buddhist Women Saints both nuns and lay women like Mahapajapatī Gotami, Ambapäli, Visakha, Sanghamitta, etc., who not only led a holy and spiritual life but also contributed much by way of composing beautiful poems of high standard on Buddhist theme and also they served for the cause of Buddhism. We hope, the book will render help for the knowledge of Buddhist Women, to the general readers as well as students.

Dr. Bela Bhattacharya has made a brilliant academic career and successful teaching and extra- curricular activities. She passed the MA. Examination standing First position in the First Class. She adorned herself with the Degree of Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) in the First Class, passed Master Degree in Education (M.Ed.) and also obtained Diploma in Tibetan language. The University of Calcutta conferred on her the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1979 for her thesis entitled "Studies in the Fundamental Principles of Buddhism."

She has written a book on the Buddhist philosophy entitled "Facets of Early Buddhism- A Study of Fundamental Principles" and contributed many research papers published in many Journals, attended Seminars and Conferences in India.

At present Dr. Bhattacharya is serving as Reader and Head of the Department of Pali and lecturer in the Department of languages (Tibetan), University of Calcutta and guiding the students to carry out research in the various fields of Buddhistic Studies.

A layman's outlook about the Buddha is that the Master prescribed the measures to get rid of the sufferings (dukkha) of the individual and that of the society. Obviously, a person involved in the suffering seeks refuge in the Buddha. Gautama the Buddha in his lifetime had many laydevotee women like Mallika, Suppiya, Uttara, Nandamata. The life style of the Indians and the social conditions of India were not the same in the days of Buddha as they are now. The problems of life in respect of the women-folk in India had been different. Inspite of the historical changes of the Indian society for more than two the asand years the traditional value of the human life among the Indians continues with same commonness. It is not an orthodoxy but reliance on eternal principle of the human life (Esa dhammo sanantano). The endeavour of a person to know one's own is the motto of an Indian. Gautama the Buddha appreciated the human principle and prescribed its upliftment in a dictum atto dipo bhavo, i.c. be a lamp unto thyself.

The Psalms of the Sisters and the Psalms of the Brethren are the English translations of the Therigatha and Theragatha respectively which appeared long ago. Several translations of the two Pali texts are available in the regional languages of India and in different languages of the west. Despite that, the ways of life led by the monastic members of the Buddhist sangha attract the new generation. They used to establish the eternal value of the human life by observance of moral precepts (sīla), mental concentration (samādhi) and the intuitive realisation of the truth (panna).

The present book entitled "Buddhist Women Saints of India" is outcome of my research work. Gautama Buddha evaluated women as equal to men in mental culture and spiritual development so he allowed women to enter his Order and gave them scope to devote in their spiritual advancement, literary achievements and to serve themselves for the cause of Buddhism.

In the Aryan patriarchal society of India, women enjoyed almost equal facilities in their social life for several thousand years from the Vedic age downwards and occupied high position and social status for their attainments and advancements in educational training and high intellectual development for knowledge of the truth. Whether as faithful wife and spiritual companion of husband, as dignified mother of heroic sons or as obedient daughters, Indian women were ideal, and full of respect and veneration.

Indian women, for instance, Vak, Viswavara, Apala, Ghoșa in the Vedic and Brahmaņa age, Maitreyl, Gärgi in the Upanișadic period; Ahalya, Sarama, Mandodari, Kaikeyi, Kaushalya, Sumitra, Sita and Gandhäri, Kunti, Draupadi, Sukanya, sakuntala, Savitrī, Damayanti and Vidura in the Epic age stand for ideal even today.

Buddhist women also either as house wife or renunciated nun devoted to Buddha's religion occupied a high position in the society.

The book is divided into five chapters. In introductory chapter regarding position of women in pre-Buddhist India I have given a survey from Rg-Veda to Jatakas before the advent of Buddha. The second chapter deals with Buddha's missionary activities and formation of bhikkhu-bhikkhuņi sangha. The third chapter treats of life and role of Buddhist women saints (bhikkhuņis) and their services for the cause of Buddhism and the fourth chapter deals with life of prominent Buddhist lay women (upasikas). In the concluding fifth chapter 1 have dealt with the literary contribution of the Buddhist women who were highly educated scholar and skilled in poetic art.