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Utpalavarṇā
Sign in to saveUtpalavarṇā (; Pali: Uppalavannā; Chinese: 蓮華色, pinyin: Liánhuásè) was a Buddhist bhikkhuni, or nun, who was considered one of the top female disciples of the Buddha. She is considered the second of the Buddha's two chief female disciples, along with Khema. She was given the name Uppalavanna, meaning "color of a blue water lily", at birth due to the bluish color of her skin.
Key facts
- Religious biography.name
- Most Venerable Bhikkhuni Uppalavannā
- Religious biography.image
- 035 Uppalavanna (detail) (9166559156).jpg
- Religious biography.caption
- Uppalavanna in Wat Pho, Bangkok
- Religious biography.religion
- Buddhism
- Religious biography.title
- Second chief Female Disciple of Gautama Buddha, Female disciple foremost in psychic powers.
- Religious biography.occupation
- bhikkhuni
- Religious biography.teacher
- Buddha
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Textual sources
- Background
- Biography
- Early life and ordination
- Enlightenment
- Chief Disciple
- Rape
- Cakkavatti Miracle
- Encounter with Mara
- Legacy
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
Utpalavarṇā (; Pali: Uppalavannā; Chinese: 蓮華色, pinyin: Liánhuásè) was a Buddhist bhikkhuni, or nun, who was considered one of the top female disciples of the Buddha. She is considered the second of the Buddha's two chief female disciples, along with Khema. She was given the name Uppalavanna, meaning "color of a blue water lily", at birth due to the bluish color of her skin.
According to the Theravada tradition, Uppalavanna was born the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Due to her beauty, numerous wealthy and powerful suitors came to her father to ask for her hand in marriage. Instead of marrying, she entered the monastic life under the Buddha as a bhikkhuni. According to the Mulasarvastivada tradition, Utpalavarṇā had a tumultuous life as a wife and courtesan before converting to Buddhism and becoming a bhikkhuni.