BUDDHIST BHIKSHUNIS FROM KASHMIR

                                               

                          ( Sketch of a Bhikshuni )

BUDDHIST BHIKSHUNIS FROM KASHMIR 

"The basis for realising enlightenment is a human body. Male or female – there is no great difference. But if she develops the mind bent on enlightenment, to be a woman is better."

— Guru Padmasambhava

Like Nalanda, Vikramshila and Gandhara, Kashmir was also a  significant hub for Buddhist learning and culture, producing many renowned scholars and philosophers who lived in Kashmir . The region was also home to various Buddhist schools, such as Sarvāstivāda, Madhyamika, and Yogācāra. Tantra and Tara worship were also dominant practices  with Buddhism in Kashmir. Little known to outside world, nunnery was also prevalent  amongst Buddhists in Kashmir. From various Buddhist texts of Tibet, China ,Sri Lanka , Mongolia and other countries , names and details of  some prominent Bhikshunis from Kashmir have now surfaced once these were translated by western scholars or eminent polyglots like Dr Lokesh Chandra.In fact nunnery is still a part of the Buddhist tradition and one can quote Sravasti Abbey in the US or Dhagpo Kundrel Ling in France . Mahapajapati Gotami was the first Bhikshuni created by Buddha . She happened to be his aunt and foster mother. Bhikshunis were seen in Kashmir, Tibet, China, Thailand , Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and many countries. To this day, Bhikshunis can be seen in Mahayana sect of Buddhists.And it is only through translated texts that details of more than 300 Buddhist savants and philosophers apart from the details of 4th Buddhist Council in Kashmir during the rule of Kushana Emperor Kanishka have surfaced up.

If one reads some Buddhist texts from Tibet and Mongolia  translated into English by scholars from the West , one feels wonderstruck to know the  amazing contribution of women savants from India   who crossed the Himalayas and Pamirs to spread light of Tathagata in Tibet and Central Asia. Apart from Bhikshuni Lakshmi, a women from royal family of Kashmir, there have been many women Savants in Tibet , Mongolia and China preaching Tantric Vajaryana Buddhism and Tara worship.

Bhikshuni Lakshmi

While translating the epic poem, Neel-gatha, I came across a mention of Bhikshuni Lakshmi by Agnishekhar. Neel-gatha mentions her as a great Tantric master of Vajrayana Buddhism from Kashmir  who is held in high esteem in Tibet. The poem informs that she crossed the Himalayas to spread the light of Dharma. Upon my research, I found that Bhikshuni Lakshmi was a Kashmiri princess who became a fully ordained nun. Like many Kashmiri savants and sages, she also crossed the Himalayas to spread the message of Buddhism. Tibetan texts hold her in the highest esteem. In Tibetan texts, she is fondly known as  Gelong-Ma -Palmo or  Dge Slong-Ma Dpal- Mo. She is credited with establishing the Nyungne or Nyung Na tradition, a fasting practice of purification based on Avalokiteshvara. After becoming a successful scholar and abbess, she was afflicted with leprosy and driven out by her community. Through her practice with Avalokiteshvara, she healed herself, attained enlightenment, and passed the practice to others.

Bhikshunis : Mekhala And Kankhala 

Mekhala and Kankhala ( two sisters)  have been prominently mentioned by many scholars and translators from the West. Both the sisters were Buddhist  nuns who arrived in Tibet after Bhikshuni Lakshmi.   Mekhala and Kankhala were two sisters who are part of the 84 mahasiddhas (great adepts) of Vajrayana Buddhism. They were disciples of Kanhapa , a renowned mahasiddha. Their marriages were unhappy. Mekhala, the elder sister, was forced into prostitution by her husband, while Kankhala, the younger sister, was neglected and criticised. Seeking liberation from their suffering, the sisters met Kanhapa, who taught them the sadhana (spiritual practice) of Vajravarahi, a ferocious form of Vajrayogini. Guru Kanhapa was from Nishada community. It believed that the sisters hailed from some area of South  Maharashtra . However,  many scholars from  the West  are of the opinion that these sisters were from Kashmir and moved out during the rule of Harsha. This needs some authentic research .Both sisters arrived in Tibet after Bhikshuni Lakshmi , a Kashmiri woman from royal family .

Bhikshuni Vajravati 

In some texts of Tibet translated by Western scholars, There is also explicit mention of Manibhadra or Vajravati , a Kashmiri Brahmin woman . Known as Guru Vajravati, she was a housewife but adept in Tantra-shastra  and Vajrayana Buddhism. Her Guru was a basket-maker from Kashmir . She broke the caste barriers by accepting a Guru who came from a  non-Brahmanic background. , a highly progressive  step during that period..She lived during the 11th century  . 

( Avtar Mota ) 

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