Eastbay Dhamma
Keys to Awakening from the Arahant Bhikkhunis
Image by Dhamma Medicine from Pixabay
In this 7-part series, we will explore qualities that arahant bhikkhunis of the Buddha's time developed on their path to awakening, such as faith, virtue, renunciation, perseverance and wisdom. We will consider the circumstances of their lives and the descriptions in their verses of their experiences and attainments, for inspiration and encouragement for our own development towards awakening.
We will also discuss what it takes for awakening to occur, particularly at the level of stream entry and tie this in to what the arahant bhikkhunis experienced. For a careful look at the Buddha's teachings on stream entry see the Samyutta Nikaya 55, the Linked Discourses on Stream Entry. We will particularly look at the four factors necessary to realize Stream Entry (SN 55:5)
For this exploration, we will use the Therigatha translation found at SuttaCentral.net beginning here: https://suttacentral.net/thig1.1/en/sujato
I will also reference the translation of Charles Hallisey and possibly others, particularly as we check into references from the commentary for biographical information. In addition, there will be a couple of other reading suggestions that take into account life for women in the time and culture of the Buddha, giving us a fuller picture of what those early female disciples may have experienced on their path to full awakening. One such reference is Women Under Primitive Buddhism by I. B. Horner. It is found here:
https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.53363/page/n4/mode/1up
You can download a copy using the circle with ellipses dots inside on the left of the screen.
The sessions will be 2-hours in length with a short meditation at the beginning to get settled, some investigation of our topic, a longer meditation and more discussion.
The dates are below for all seven sessions in this series. For each session, identify examples in the Therigatha of the qualities and practices listed below for that meeting. Choose some verses that speak to you about this quality and be prepared to share them with the group. Also, incorporate anything interesting you find in I.B. Horner's book (link above) that might relate to the life of the bhikkhuni whose verses you cite.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89713120971?pwd=dXJVZnpCSVNNZXZOOHhUMW5Gc2IzZz09
Meeting ID: 897 1312 0971
Passcode: 902160
There will be 7 sessions in this series at 2pm on 2nd Saturdays. Here are the dates:
2nd Saturdays at 2pm
September 11
October 9 -- RIGHT VIEW (The body is not self)
November 13 -- FAITH & ASSOCIATION WITH GOOD PEOPLE
(No meeting in December)
January 8 -- RENUNCIATION & HEARING THE TRUE DHAMMA
February 12 -- PERSEVERANCE & WISE ATTENTION
(No meeting in March)
April 9 -- VIRTUE & PRACTICING IN ACCORDANCE WITH DHAMMA
May 14 -- WISDOM
We will also discuss what it takes for awakening to occur, particularly at the level of stream entry and tie this in to what the arahant bhikkhunis experienced. For a careful look at the Buddha's teachings on stream entry see the Samyutta Nikaya 55, the Linked Discourses on Stream Entry. We will particularly look at the four factors necessary to realize Stream Entry (SN 55:5)
For this exploration, we will use the Therigatha translation found at SuttaCentral.net beginning here: https://suttacentral.net/thig1.1/en/sujato
I will also reference the translation of Charles Hallisey and possibly others, particularly as we check into references from the commentary for biographical information. In addition, there will be a couple of other reading suggestions that take into account life for women in the time and culture of the Buddha, giving us a fuller picture of what those early female disciples may have experienced on their path to full awakening. One such reference is Women Under Primitive Buddhism by I. B. Horner. It is found here:
https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.53363/page/n4/mode/1up
You can download a copy using the circle with ellipses dots inside on the left of the screen.
The sessions will be 2-hours in length with a short meditation at the beginning to get settled, some investigation of our topic, a longer meditation and more discussion.
The dates are below for all seven sessions in this series. For each session, identify examples in the Therigatha of the qualities and practices listed below for that meeting. Choose some verses that speak to you about this quality and be prepared to share them with the group. Also, incorporate anything interesting you find in I.B. Horner's book (link above) that might relate to the life of the bhikkhuni whose verses you cite.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89713120971?pwd=dXJVZnpCSVNNZXZOOHhUMW5Gc2IzZz09
Meeting ID: 897 1312 0971
Passcode: 902160
There will be 7 sessions in this series at 2pm on 2nd Saturdays. Here are the dates:
2nd Saturdays at 2pm
September 11
October 9 -- RIGHT VIEW (The body is not self)
November 13 -- FAITH & ASSOCIATION WITH GOOD PEOPLE
(No meeting in December)
January 8 -- RENUNCIATION & HEARING THE TRUE DHAMMA
February 12 -- PERSEVERANCE & WISE ATTENTION
(No meeting in March)
April 9 -- VIRTUE & PRACTICING IN ACCORDANCE WITH DHAMMA
May 14 -- WISDOM