10. Ven. Bhaddā Kāpilānī

Aspiration in the Past

The future Bhaddā Kāpilānī was born as the wife of Vedeha, a rich man of Haṁsavatī, during the time of Padumuttara Buddha. When she was listening to a discourse by the Buddha, she saw a nun being named as the foremost female monastic having the supernormal power of remembering past existences. She aspired to be such a nun and, after making an extraordinary offering, mentioned that aspiration before the Buddha, who confirmed it.

The Wife of a Householder

After passing away from her existence as a rich man’s wife, she was reborn in the Deva realm and subsequently either in the human world or the Deva realm, for 100,000 aeons. Eventually, she was reborn as the wife of a householder in Bārāṇasī. At one time, while she was having a quarrel with the sister of her husband, a Paccekabuddha arrived for alms food. The householder’s sister offered alms food to the Paccekabuddha and said her wish which chafed his wife, the future Bhaddā Kāpilānī, who became furious and took the alms bowl from the Paccekabuddha, and threw away the alms food in it. Further, she put mud in it, and offered it back to the Paccekabuddha. Only when the astonished onlookers reminded her of her fault did she recover her proper senses. She threw out the mud from the Paccekabuddha’s alms bowl, cleansed it thoroughly, applied scented powder to it and then put in the four sweet foods (catu-madhu). In addition, she added ghee that had been made pure white, like the inside of the pollen chamber of the lotus, with the result that the food she offered glistened in the alms bowl. In returning the alms bowl to the Paccekabuddha, she wished aloud that just as the food she offered glistened, so would she possesses a glistening complexion. ^{All these happenings may be gleaned from chapter 43 on Ven. Mahā Kassapa.}

Ascetic Life in Her Final Existence

It is noteworthy that both husband and wife renounced the world together. The husband, [1413] Mahā Kassapa, at a forked road took the right turn while his wife, Bhaddā Kāpilānī, the left turn. The former, met the Buddha sitting under the great Bodhi tree, known as Bahuputtaka. At that time, women were not yet admitted into the Saṅgha, so Bhaddā Kāpilānī had to spend five years as a wandering ascetic.

This fact was recounted by herself in her life story: Pañca vassāni nivasiṁ paribbājavate ahaṁ, “for five years I lived as a wanderer” (Tha-ap 413, 60).

Foremost Title Acheived

Thanks to her past aspiration, Ven. Bhaddā Kāpilānī, after attaining Awakening, was exceptionally competent in remembering past existences. Therefore, on one occasion when the Buddha was residing at the Jetavana monastery and naming distinguished nuns, he declared:

Etad-aggaṁ bhikkhave mama sāvikānaṁ bhikkhunīnaṁ
pubbe-nivāsaṁ yad-idaṁ Bhaddā Kāpilānī.

Monastics, among my female monastic disciples who can recall past existences, Bhaddā, who is now called Kāpilānī, ^{Kāpilānī was the family name of Bhaddā’s husband Pippali (later Mahā Kassapa).} is the foremost (etad-agga).