Women in Early Indian Buddhism from Socio-Religious Perspectives : A Review Based on 'Therigatha'/ বৌদ্ধযুগে সমাজ ও ধর্মের প্রেক্ষিতে নারীজীবন : ‘থেরীগাথা’ অবলম্বনে একটি পর্যালোচনা

Abstract

‘Therigatha’ is an anthology of poems composed by the first Buddhist women on their past lives and spiritual experiences on attaining nirvana. Buddha's reluctant permission to found the nuns' order contrasts significantly with the record of early nuns' success, as recorded in the Therigatha. These verses were composed by women from various factions of socio-economic conditions, ranging from members of royal family to brothel. Incapable of bearing the pain they received from the negligence, humiliation and distress in social life, they took refuge in the Buddhist order, though some women joined the order voluntarily being attracted to the asceticism due to their spiritual inclination. This literature work is surprisingly timeless, addressing issues of women's spiritual enlightenment and societal expectations that are still relevant today. The poems in this book provide historical insight into how Buddhism became one of the first religions to welcome women and inspired them for their spiritual attainment. This work is also worthy to be used as the historical document evident for the aspirations and achievements of Buddhist women in the early Buddhism. These poems are relevant forever to study the social, cultural and spiritual progress of women made by themselves following Buddha's teachings. In this paper I have reviewed few verses of Therigatha that are significant for the socio-cultural study of the position of women in early Indian Buddhism and role of Buddhist order in their lives.