dhammadinnaa

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Dhammadinnā

1. Dhammadinnā.- One of the two chief women disciples of Piyadassī Buddha. Bu.xiv.21; J.i.39.

2. Dhammadinnā.- One of the chief supporters, among lay women, of Piyadassī Buddha. Bu.xiv.22.

3. Dhammadinnā.- An eminent Therī, ranked foremost among nuns who possessed the gift of teaching (A.i.25). She was the wife of Visākha of Rājagaha, and when he, having heard the Buddha teach, became a Non-returner (anāgāmī), she left the world with the consent of her husband who sent her to the nunnery in a golden palanquin (MA.i.515 says this was provided by Bimbisāra). Dwelling in solitude, she soon attained Arahantship with the four patisambhidā. (See Thig.v.12 for a stanza uttered by her). She later returned to Rājagaha to worship the Buddha, and there Visākha asked her questions on the Dhamma, which she answered “as easily as one might cut a lows-stalk with a knife.” The questions and answers are given in the Cūla Vedalla Sutta (M.i.299ff). Visākha reported this interview to the Buddha, who praised her great wisdom and commended her eloquence.

In the time of Padumuttara Buddha she was a servant, and one day saw the Buddha’s disciple, Sujāta, begging alms and gave him a curry (ThigA. p.15 says Sujāta had just risen from samādhi). Her master, seeing this, made her his daughter-in-law. Later, while on a visit to the vihāra, she saw a nun declared to be chief of teachers and wished for similar eminence.

In the time of Phussa Buddha she obtained merit by giving to the Buddha’s half-brother double the gift prescribed by her husband. (Details of this are given in PvA., p.21).

In the time of Kassapa Buddha she was born as Sudhammā, the sixth of the seven daughters of Kiki, king of Benares; for twenty thousand years she lived in celibacy. (Her story is given in ThigA.15ff; Ap.ii.567f; AA.i.196f; MA.i.515ff; DhA.iv.229ff).

Dhammadinnā was the teacher of Sukhā (ThigA.58).

Dictionary of Pāli Proper Names • G.P. Malalasekera