Buddhamitra was born around 90 and lived in the
Kushan EmpireThe Kushan Empire of Ancient India originally formed in the territories of ancient Bactria on either side of the middle course of the Oxus River or Amu Darya in what is now northern Afghanistan, and southern Tajikistan and Uzbekistan...
. She entered into the
SanghaSangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups...
and became a Buddhist
NunA Nun, or also known as a Sister in some cases, is a woman who has taken special vows committing her to a religious life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
(though historical records do not tell us if she did this as a child or after the death of her husband). Though her life before becoming a nun is not recorded in historical records, she is noted in several important historical records. Not only did she give the epithet of being familiar with the threefold knowledge of Buddhism (the
TripitakaThe ' is the Sanskrit term used by Westerners for a Buddhist canon of scriptures. Asian Buddhists of the Theravada Buddhist school use the term Tipitaka to refer to the Pali Canon...
) but she received donations from a powerful ruler, the
SatrapSatrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of ancient Median and Persian empires, including the Achaemenid Empire and in several of their heirs, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....
of Mathura, who was subordinate to the Kushan Emperors.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Buddhamitra' Start a new discussion about 'Buddhamitra' Answer questions from other users |
Buddhamitra was born around 90 and lived in the
Kushan EmpireThe Kushan Empire of Ancient India originally formed in the territories of ancient Bactria on either side of the middle course of the Oxus River or Amu Darya in what is now northern Afghanistan, and southern Tajikistan and Uzbekistan...
. She entered into the
SanghaSangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups...
and became a Buddhist
NunA Nun, or also known as a Sister in some cases, is a woman who has taken special vows committing her to a religious life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
(though historical records do not tell us if she did this as a child or after the death of her husband). Though her life before becoming a nun is not recorded in historical records, she is noted in several important historical records. Not only did she give the epithet of being familiar with the threefold knowledge of Buddhism (the
TripitakaThe ' is the Sanskrit term used by Westerners for a Buddhist canon of scriptures. Asian Buddhists of the Theravada Buddhist school use the term Tipitaka to refer to the Pali Canon...
) but she received donations from a powerful ruler, the
SatrapSatrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of ancient Median and Persian empires, including the Achaemenid Empire and in several of their heirs, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....
of Mathura, who was subordinate to the Kushan Emperors. Buddhamitra lived at the time of the 4th Buddhist Council and it is likely given her political connections and learning that she was involved. She is a remarkable figure, because despite living in a
partriarchal societyPatriarchy is the structuring of family units based on the man, as father figure, having primary authority over the rest of the family members. Patriarchy also refers to the role of men in society more generally where men take primary responsibility over the welfare of the community as a whole...
she has left a mark in history where many male kings have been entirely forgotten.
External links