Bhikkhuni with psychic powers:

Bhikkhuni with psychic powers

By Premasara EPASINGHE

During the Buddha's era, the two chief disciples of the Bhikkhu Order were Sariputta and Moggallana. Likewise, in the Order of Bhikkhunis, Khema was the first and the wisest disciple and Uppalavanna, was the second chief disciple Bhikkhuni who had great psychic powers.

About hundred thousand years ago, Uppalavanna was born in the city of Hansavati as a princess, during Buddha Padumuttara's era. She was virtuous and a follower of the Buddha. Once in an assembly of Bhikkhunis while the princess was listening to a sermon the Buddha said that she would be elevated to the rank of second chief disciple by the future Gautama Buddha. The Buddha said she would be the most efficient in performing miracles through psychic powers.

The psychic power is a process and phenomena on that seems to be outside physical or natural laws.

Devout

As a devout lay Upasika, she performed many meritorious deeds. She was very fond of giving alms to Bhikkhus. In her samsaric journey, she was born again as a princess, during the time of Buddha Vipassi. Then, again she was born as Somanagutta, as the second daughter of King Kasi, ruler of the kingdom of Kasi. With her six sisters, she was instrumental in building a big monastery to Buddha Kassapa. In her next birth, she was Ummadanti, a pretty Brahamin Princess in the city of Arishta.

The beautiful Brahamin Princess was born again as a poor maid. She offered alms to a Paccheka Buddha on a lotus leaf, with lotus flowers on top of it. In the following birth, the maid was born as a baby girl in a huge lotus flower bud. A hermit found her and named her as Padmavati.

Blue lillies

In Gautama Buddha's era, she was born in a noble family. Her eyes were like blue lillies. That's the reason she was named Uppalavanna. She was beautiful like a divine damsel. Her parents named this pretty, charming, pleasant girl as Uppalavanna. She was a dutiful and disciplined daughter.

The parents could not select a partner, for her. The parents admitted the pretty girl to a ashram of Bhikkhunis. She entered - the Order of the Bhikkhunis. She concentrated on meditation. Samatha Bhavana. To a certain extent, she developed her psychic powers. She began Vipassana Bhavana (Insight meditation). Uppalavanna, one day was deeply concentrating on fire (Tejo Kasina) and attained enlightenment. She gained the knowledge of Artha, Dhamma, Nirukti, Patibhana and six great psychic powers.

The Great Bhikkhunis of the Buddhist Order were Maha Prajapati Gotami, foremost of the Order, Khema the first disciple and the wisest, Uppalavanna second chief disciple, Patachara, best disciplined Bhikkhuni's Dhammadinna, the best preacher, Rupananda, the foremost in meditative powers, Sona, the first in great effort, Sakula, great with divine eye Bhaddha Kundalakesi, foremost to gain psychic powers, Bhaddha Kapilani remembrance of past births, Yasodhara, the foremost in great analytical and psychic powers, Kisagotami, the best who observed difficult precepts and Sigalaka Matha, the foremost with the greatest faith. They are known as “Mahasravikas”.

Uppalavanna was a great teacher. She imparted her knowledge in teaching meditations to the Bhikkhunis. In appreciation of the great services she rendered, Gautama Buddha promoted Uppalavanna to the rank of the second chief disciple, which was her wish and ambition to achieve.

One day on her way to a ashram, she spent sometime in a forest known as Andha was meditating. Her cousin Nanda, who made a proposal to marry Uppalavanna, saw her on her alms round. She was staying in a hut. Without her knowledge, Nanda hid under the bed and when she was resting, the sadist Nanda, committed an offence on her. Uppalavanna chased him for the grave sin he had committed. He lost his sight and finally succumbed to a tragic death.

The Bhikkhuni informed the unfortunate incident to the Buddha. The Blessed One declared a precept prohibiting Bhikkhunis to live in the forest. As a result King Pasenadi Kosala, built many ashramas for Bhikkhunis.

Miracles

The Blessed One, once prohibited Bhikkhunis to perform miracles. The heretics, the disciples of Mahavira and Nigantanatha Putta, were delighted to hear the news. Later, they heard that the Buddha himself will be performing the “Twin-miracle”, at Sarathi under a mango tree. The “Thirtakas uprooted all mango trees in Sarathi to prevent the Buddha from performing miracles.

Uppalavanna sought permission from the Buddha to display her miracles. She displayed her psychic powers in front of the heretics. Her great miracle was a breadth taking sight. Blue waters cascaded up and down, mixed with fire. Uppalavanna was the cynosure of all eyes. The Buddha praised her for her courage and skills. After the event, Uppalavanna was elevated to the rank of the foremost Bhikkhunis in displaying magical powers.

Uppalavanna thus became the holder of two ranks viz the second chief disciple and a Bhikkhuni with great psychic powers. According to the Law of Manu, the ancient Indian society treated women as an appendage, (a thing that is added) to her husband his servitor and attendant. Buddha was the great liberator of women. The Buddha said to achieve Arahatship, gender was no barrier. He outlined the virtues that would help towards the well-being of women both in this world and the next.

They are briefly religious devotion, a sense of shame and fear; not disposed towards malice and not to be jealous; to be large-hearted; discipling and pure in character and conduct; to be virtuous and moral; to be learned and knowledgeable, ardent and zealous; mentally alert and wise.

A woman who possessed these qualities always lived peacefully and happily. Uppalavanna possessed all these important virtues. The lives of these noble Bhikkhunis, their achievements, their song of praise or triumph of joy are vividly described in Therigatha (Psalms of the sisters)One day when Uppalavanna was in the garden, under a sal-tree, the Mara, under the guise of a handsome youth tried to capture her heart. Uppalavanna said, “Mara, I have attained the Enlightenment and I possess sixfold Great Psychic Powers. Mara, remember the pleasures of senses are very sharp. They are dangerous, you say they are delightful. But I despise them. On hearing her words, Mara disappeared. Mara in Buddhism symbolises the passions that overwhelm human beings as well as everything that hinders the development of wholesome roots and progress on the path of Enlightenment. Uppalavanna was kind-hearted. She was helpful to all.

She was a Great Bhikkhuni who served and improved the knowledge of the Buddhist philosophy. Uppalavanna, helped the Bhikkhunis to achieve their ultimate goal “Bliss of Nibbana” - the state of deathlessness.