Kisa Gotami and Patacara were fully appointed Buddhist nuns and were equivalent in status to male monks (Bhikkhus). They were ordained by the Gautam Buddha. And were known as Bhikkhunis (nuns). The time span is given as 5th – 6th Century BCE. They were renowned for teaching acceptance of grief, and freedom from fear.

Kisa Gotami was asked by the Buddha to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a household where no one had ever died. To help her to understand the universal nature of death. The Buddha used this task as a lesson in compassion and wisdom, showing her that grief and loss are experienced by everyone and that her suffering though death was part of the human condition.

The Buddha’s request was a skillful mean (Upaya) to help her move past her intense sorrow and delusion. By understanding that she was not alone in her suffering, she was able to accept her son’s death and find peace. She subsequently became a Bhikkhuni.

Patacara, guided many women through loss and grief.

Full of trust you left home and soon learned to walk the Path—making yourself a friend to everyone and making everyone a friend. When the whole world is your friend, fear will find no place to call home.

She also taught other nuns that purity and impurity comes from oneself, for no one can purify another.

Both Kisa Gotami and Patacara were venerated Bhikkunis. This order was established by the Buddha at the request of his foster mother, Mahapajapati Gotami. She was the maternal aunt of the Buddha and was the first Bhikkhuni to seek ordination from the Buddha.

Aim Hrim Klim