Dhammadinnatheri

Dhammadinnatheri

By Bhumijai Kaewratanapatama

Preface Content

3

Introductory Story 4

To profess Buddhism 9

His/her work on Buddhism 11

Virtues as good model 14
for leading a life

Reference 16

Preface

I got this topic assigned to be a work as a
part of Moral Subject Study, about
Dhammadinnatheri, a nun whom the Lord
Buddha praised as a sage.

Introduction Story

In the time of the Buddha, many people
saw the Dhamma, both male and female.
The daughter of Anathapindika realized
stream-entry, and another realized the next
highest level of enlightenment, once-
returner. So the daughter was an even
higher level of enlightenment than her
father, Anathapindika, who was a stream-
enterer.

There is Venerable Sariputta – the chief
right hand disciple of the Buddha who was
foremost in wisdom of all the disciples – having
the recognition the Dhamma General of the
Buddha – who could teach in place of the Buddha
and was extremely skilled in the Dhamma.

The Buddha praised Venerable Sariputta
and compared him to one who looks after a young
child, teaching them until that child grows up well
and has a good foundation in mindfulness and
wisdom. When the monks would take leave of the
Buddha to go off wandering, the Buddha would
ask them to take leave of Venerable Sariputta first,
so that Venerable Sariputta could teach them the
things that would have benefit and give them
Dhamma advice. We should know well that
Venerable Sariputta built a great amount of
spiritual perfections in many past lives.

Before, in the past, Venerable Sariputta
could have become an arahant of the highest level
with psychic abilities, because all his 84,000
followers attained to becoming arahant of this
highest level. At that time they listened to the
Dhamma of the chief right hand disciple of the
Buddha foremost in wisdom of that era, and
Venerable Sariputta, who was there, made the
aspiration to be the chief right hand disciple of the
Buddha in the future, and his aspiration came to
fruition with our Buddha in this era.

If we look to the Buddha’s female ordained
followers – there is one bhikkhuni, Venerable
Dhammadinna Theri, who was imbued with great
mindfulness and wisdom. Dhammadinna, as a
laywoman, grew up and lived in Rajagaha City
and was married to a man called Visakha Setthi.
Visaka Setthi had the chance to meet the Buddha
and attained to sotapanna on that occasion. And,
later on, Visakha Setthi listened to the Dhamma of
the Buddha again and attained to becoming an
anagami, the third highest level of enlightenment.
He didn’t want to have a wife anymore because at
this attainment he had cut off sensual lust already.

On that day, his wife, Dhammadinna didn’t
know yet that her husband had attained to
anagami, and when the husband came back she
awaited her husband at the top of the steps,
waiting for her husband to take her hand. He
didn’t take her hand and didn’t say anything about
it. The wife was doubtful about her husband and
thought her husband was angry at her.

When they had finished eating together, she
was still unhappy. She thought she must have
done something wrong to make her husband angry
at her. So she asked her husband.

Visakha Setthi then explained to her the
reason why he didn’t take her hand, which was
because he had listened to the Dhamma of the
Buddha and attained to anagami. Visakha Setthi
told his wife that how much ever wealth she
wanted of his, she could take it and that she should
go back to live with her old family. The wife said
that if this was his wish then her desire was to
ordain as a Bhikkhuni. The husband rejoiced in
her wish and gave his permission for her to ordain.
When Dhammadinna ordained, she took leave of
her preceptor to go into the forest far from the city
to practice. In no long time, she attained to the
highest type of arahant with all the psychic
abilities.

There are 4 types of arahants, or perfected
enlightened individuals. The first has wisdom and
can be completely victorious against the kilesas.
They have knowledge of previous lives, super-
knowledge of passing away and rebirth of beings,
and the super-knowledge of destruction of the
defilements. The third level has achieved the
sixfold knowledges: they have power of
transformation, power of divine hearing, power of
knowing the mind of others, divine vision, power
of knowing previous existences, and destruction of
the fetters of the mental defilements.

And the highest type of arahant is
extremely skilled in the Dhamma. They could
explain the Dhamma in brief so that it was
completely understandable by others. They are
completely skilled in this special language –
because they know the language of the heart. They
need to build their parami a lot more to gain this
highest level.

To Profess Bhuddhism

Venerable Dhammadinna Theri – attained
to the highest level, the 4th level of arahantship.
After attaining to becoming an arahant, she went
back to her old home in order to teach her old
husband and relatives. Her old husband met her
and invited her to have the meal at their house.

Visakha setthi, her old husband thought that
she wished to disrobe, so he asked her some
Dhamma questions. She was able to answer them
all correctly and clearly. He then knew that she
wasn’t ordinary at all, and that she had definitely
attained to arahantship. So he had great joy and
rejoiced with Venerable Dhammadinna Theri
Arhanti, that was his old wife. And the important
thing was that she had all the special knowledges
and insights. The Buddha praised Dhammadinna
Theri as the foremost of the expounding of
Dhamma amongst the female disciples.

She had great knowledge and ability in

teaching the Dhamma. She had faith and
confidence in the Buddha’s dispensation.

His/her work on Buddhism

In the reign of Phra Pussa Buddha The
Buddha said to her: give one part But she made
merit twice. Later in the reign of Phra Kassapa
Buddha Born as the sixth daughter of King
Kingkirat, whose name is "Sudhamma", heard
the Dharma from the Buddha and became a
nun. but the father did not allow Therefore, she
practiced chastity all her life. At the end of his
life, he was reborn as humans and angels.

Until the reign of Phra Samana Gotama
Buddha She was born into a noble family.
When he grows up to be a young woman, he
marries a wealthy Vesak.

Dhamadina's husband believed in the
Lord Buddha. listened to the sermons and
attained to the Anagami when I get home Mrs.
Dhammathinna came out to welcome you at
the top of the stairs. Then every time the rich

man would hold his wife's hand to climb the
stairs. But this time, the rich man ignored her.
Be unusually indifferent towards her.

So she replied to her husband, “Why did
you change like this? Have I done something
to upset you?" The rich man immediately
replied, “She didn't do anything wrong. and I
pray that from this day on will not be
physically feminine and not interested in
delicious food anymore because now I
understand everything If you're satisfied, you
can stay here. Or you can go back to your
home.”

Mrs. Thamthinna replied, “Reverend
rich man, ask me to be ordained.” Then the
rich man had his servants arrange a golden
bowl for Mrs. Dhammathinna to travel to the
nuns house.

She was ordained as a nun. Study and
practice meditation for a few days. wishing for
a secluded place, he went to meet the preceptor
and told him, "Lord teachers my heart longs
for peace Let me go and stay at the abbot near
my house.”

When she moved to an abbot near her
home Soon he attained Arahatship. an arahant
The wealthy Visakha, knowing that she had
attained Arahatship, came to ask questions
about Dharma. Phra Dhammadinna Theri
answered the questions eloquently. The Lord
Buddha was aware of this and therefore
declared her to be Ettakka Dhammakathuk, a
sage who explains the Dharma in a good way.

Virtues as good model for leading a life

This parami—you can’t measure it.
Sometimes the husband has a higher level of
parami than the wife, or we think that the wife has
more parami than the husband—but it is not
certain. If the woman decides to determine to fully
practice the Dhamma and has more mindfulness
and wisdom than the husband then she can attain
to arahantship before the husband. Or in the world,
she may be more successful than the husband.
This is the subject of their accumulated spiritual
merits and virtues that they have built in the past.

Every person is different and has different
levels of spiritual merits and development. In this
story of Dhammadinna Theri she had gratitude as
well. She attained to arahantship but she thought
back to her old husband whom she had built
parami with in the past and he had given her the
opportunity to ordain as a Bhkikkuni. So she went
back to her home to discuss and teach the
Dhamma to him.

The Buddha praised her that she was the
foremost of teaching the Dhamma. It is good for
us to learn about the history of Venerable
Dhammadina Theri, and to remember her. So if
you are an upasika, a lay female follower, don’t
feel belittled that you are a woman, but in reality,
it depends on the parami of the individual and is
uncertain. By practicing and developing oneself
then one can grow spiritually and can even attain
to becoming an arahant, anagami, sakadagami, or
sotapanna, one can attain depending on previous
spiritual merits.

So, may you recollect the virtues of
Venerable Dhamadinana Arahanti Theri – who
attained to the highest, the highest level of arahant,
and had all the psychic abilities, who the Buddha
praised as foremost in teaching the Dhamma. May
you all recollect these virtues of the Sangha, of
Venerable Dhammadinna Theri and you will all
prosper in the Buddha’s teachings and practice.

REFFERENCES:
https://watmarpjan.org/en/venerable-
dhammadinna-theri/

https://goodlifeupdate.com/healthy-
mind/121529.html