- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Tathālokā Therī
March 3, 2026
🏵️🌕✨ Yasodharā Parinibbāna | Beyond the Abandonment & the Tears: past, present & future | I share this post for the sake of images 5-10, to shift popular perception.
How less than 1 and a half minutes makes such a difference!
Image 1:
Story of the ancient past with Dipankāra Buddha, as told in the canonical, commentarial Pāli-text Yasodharā Therī Apadāna, and in the independent Pāli-text 'Yasodharā Bimbā Parinibbāna' aka 'Bimbā Nibbāna' manuscript traditions of South & Southeast Asian Theravāda Buddhism
Shortly before each of them receive their predictions (vyākarana) to awakening:
Here the Buddha-to-be (Sumedha) lies down over a muddy patch of the path holding lotuses given him by Yasodharā-to-be (Sumittā), who has prepared them for her offering when seeing the Buddha Dipankara 'the Lamplighter' who is arriving.
Image 2:
The loving couple Crown Prince Siddhartha and Princess Bimbādevī Bhaddakaccānā (Yasodharā), both age 16, having chosen one another.
Image 3:
Prince Rāhula, an heir, is born to Siddhattha and Bimbadevī. And, the Bodhisatta, the Buddha-to-be, having seen the 'four sites' leaves that night, riding to river Anoma, cutting off his hair and discarding his royal jewels, turban and insignia.
Image 4:
The Tears. Prince Siddhartha's homecoming to Kapilavastu on the Phagguna Full Moon (often in March). Bimbādevī Yasodharā has not gone to see him with everyone else. The Buddha comes to see her with King Suddhodana and his chief monastic disciples. King Suddhadana professes her faithfulness during the whole time he has been away:
- when she heard he renounced his royal finery and jewels, she did so as well
- when she heard he donned monastic robes, she did so too
- when she heard he renounced the use of high and luxurious beds and seats, she did so too, undertaking the eight precept home ascetic life
And:
- when other suitors came seeking her engagement, she declined them all, despite being encouraged to move on
Moments later in this scene, something very special happens that is extremely important, but often gets missed in the telling.
Image 5:
Pre-eminent Bhikkhunī Arahantī Bhaddakaccānā aka Bhaddā Kaccāyanā (Yasodharā) Therī, having ordained at age 43 and attained to arahantship in no long time, becomes renowned as foremost among bhikkhunīs in 'mahā abhiññā' - deep insight and great spiritual powers. At age 78, she goes to the Buddha, having decided the time for her Parinibbāna has come.
In the Pāli-text manuscript traditions, the occurs on or leading up to the Phagguna Punnami (Falgun Purnima) Full Moon Uposatha, often the full moon of March.
Image 6:
Together with a thousand members of her bhikkhunī assembly, she asks the Buddha's forgiveness (for nothing, he says), and is then encouraged by him to tell her story and show her psychic powers (something normally forbidden by Buddhist monastic discipline) before her Parinibbāna. She is age 78.
Image 7:
The display of spiritual powers. Here she is showing herself as a garuda with the whole earth in her beak, but the garuda here looks like an American eagle?
This is just one of extensive displays of psychic power. Again, normally not allowed in the Buddhist monastic discipline, but this was a special request from the Buddha.
Image 8:
Returning to Earth and Ready to Go. Her time, her place, her choice, her way.
Where is this?
- the mainland central and southern Southeast manuscript traditions say these miracles happened in Savatthi (Sravasti), at the Bhikkhuni monastery where she had originally ordained and attained to arahatship
- the Sri Lankan manuscript traditions say this was at Rajagaha (Rajagriha, Rajgir)
- some traditions amalgamate: the story begins at Rajagaha, and ends in Savatthi
......for the enjoyment of further research......
Image 9:
A very modern depiction of Parinibbāna.
Noting, traditionally, in the Pali-text 'Sāvaka Nibbāna' genre, the great disciples are depicted entering Parinibbāna in the 'lion's pose,' as the Buddha did as well.
In the lion's pose, one lies on their right side, with the head on the right hand, and the left arm over the left hip and leg. The upper foot is placed atop the lower foot.
This is the lying down meditation posture, one of the classical 'four postures' of meditation taught:
1. walking meditation
2. standing meditation
3. sitting meditation
4. lying down meditation
Both Yasodharā and Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī are recorded as having entered Parinibbāna after entering and exiting the Jhānas in sequence, as also the Buddha later did as well.
Image 10 will have to come in the next post, because this short 1:20 video has ended here.
The 1st image is relatively well known in ancient Buddhist art, but the 2nd, 3rd and 4th are mostly the limit of what is known in the west: the beautiful young couple, the abandonment, the tears. Many or most in the west don't know what directly follows on those tears. And most don't know the 5th image, or if they do they think of it as a tragic loss. Why?
Because few know what follows:
🏵️ stream entry at age 35 upon hearing the Buddha's awakened Dhamma teaching personally taught to her when he returned
🏵️ going forth leading a large number of her retinue and ordained under then completely awakened arahati Mahā Pajāpatī Gotamī into a Bhikkhuni Sangha replete with hundreds of awakened women
🏵️ her own successful practice and complete awakening (arahatship*) at age 41
🏵️ becoming one of the foremost leading disciples as commended and publicly acknowledged by the Buddha himself
🏵️ 30+ years of renowned and 'successful' fully-awakened monastic life as a leading member of the Bhikkhu-Bhikkhunī Sangha (Ubhato, 'Dual' Sangha) of the Buddha
🏵️ Parinibbāna at age 78, with the Buddha's blessings and his request to display show her Dhamma and her pre-eminent spiritual powers
Normally, literally more half her life is left out in most common, popular western tellings (age 36-78).
*Commonly her awakening and completion of the Buddha's teachings and path (her arahatship) is also not mentioned in popular articles in English
.......and there's more beyond what is shown here, in terms of her post-parinibbāna enduring legacy.......
🪷 sacred relics emerging from cremation and the construction of a Parinibbāna stupa at the Buddha's direction
🪷 the long recitation and scribal traditions of telling the story of her greatness, from the ancient past, to the story of the present life, including her complete awakening, Parinibbāna, relics and stupa
🪷 the enduring popularity of her story and presence in Theravāda Buddhism unto this day.
🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️ 🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️ 🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️
With enduring gratitude,
✍️ Tathālokā Therī 🙏🙏🙏 at Dhammadharini
🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️ 🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️ 🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️
#bhaddakaccana #bimbadevi #rahulamata #Yasodhara #bhikkhuni #arahanti #theraniya #Parinibbana #parinirvandiwas #phagguna #Punnami #falgunpurnima #uposatha #AwakeningAwareness #awakeningjourney
🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️ 🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️ 🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️🪷🏵️
P.S. Does knowing the other half of her story make a difference to you too?
Welcome to share in the comments.
