Thanks for joining us! Recordings from our First Commemoration of the Parinibbāna of Venerable Bhikkhunī Yasodharā (Bhaddakaccānā) Therī plus Buddhistdoor Global article
❧ Dhammadharini Monastery
Warm greetings dear Venerables & Dhamma friends -
On Monday March 25, Dhammadharini held our final Full Moon Uposatha program of our winter retreat (more news on our end of retreat coming soon).
As part of our final full moon Uposatha program, and as a fitting way to close out Women’s History Month, we commemorated—for the first time—the parinibbāna of the early eminent arahant disciple of the Buddha, Venerable Bhikkhunī Bimbā Yasodharā aka Rāhulamātā aka Bhaddā Kaccānā Therī.
Thanks to the research of Ayyā Tathālokā, three months ago, just on the cusp of our entering winter retreat, we learned the Pāli lunar calendar date that been preserved in mainland Southeast Asian Pāli-text manuscript traditions, passed down in southern and central Thailand, as the date of her Parinibbāna: this past March’s (Pāli: Phagguṇa Puṇṇamī) Full Moon Uposatha.
We are so appreciative of everyone who joined us online on Zoom, or on Facebook live or YouTube, and all of the positive feedback we have received about the program. Thank you!
This was our first year to commemorate this event—and we received so many great ideas and valuable suggestions before, during and after. We look forward to following up with these, learning more, and continuing the sharing and the conversation—now that we have a date—in future annual commemorations. We encourage others to do so as well—not only Bhikkhunīs, but everyone, as the arahants belong to all of us.
The Buddha highly recommended timely recollection of the Arahants, and the practice of Sanghānusati “recollection of the salient qualities of the noble Sangha.” The Pāli Canon records extensive tellings of the parinibbānas of two great bhikkhunī arahants—Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī Therī and Yasodharā (Bhaddā Kaccānā) Therī—as well as several great bhikkhu arahants in the Khuddaka Nikāya (the same collection which contains familiar names like the Dhammapāda and Therīgāthā). We are glad to have now recovered and restored the parinibbāna dates of these two great therīs, which feels like an important part of the restoration and restitution of the Buddha’s Bhikkhunī Sangha and Fourfold Sangha.
Program recordings
For those who missed the presentation or who would like to view it again, you may see the recordings here:
The full Uposatha evening program, including meditation and Dhamma reflection from Ayyā Sobhanā
Just the presentation about Yasodharā (Bhaddā Kaccānā) Therī’s Parinibbāna (audio-visual, excerpted from the full program)
PDF of the presentation slides (visual only, no audio).
New Article > Buddhistdoor Global feature article released April 6th
On our theme of “Launching Awareness,” Buddhistdoor Global has yesterday published a feature article on this subject, written by their senior writer Raymond Lam in collaboration with Ayyā Tathālokā, featuring the discovery and Dhammadharini’s commemoration. Welcome to take a look: Buddhistdoor View: “Reawakening Awareness – Commemorating a Supreme Woman Arahant, Ven. Yasodhara (Bhaddakaccana) Theri”.
Warm welcome to leave a comment at the bottom of the article - the authors will read your comments there.
With much metta,
—from our Dhammadharini Community
(more from us soon on emerging from retreat)