Bhikkhunī
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A bhikkhunī is a fully ordained Buddhist nun. Bhikkhunīs live by the Vinaya, a set of monastic rules and ethical precepts. The total of codes of conduct prescribed for nuns amounts to either 311, 348,
Buddhist nuns and laywomen performing a service at a temple in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
Sanghamitta bringing the Bodhi tree to Sri Lanka. Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara
Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, the first modern Thai woman to receive full ordination as a Theravada bhikkhuni and Abbess of Songdhammakalyani Monastery, the only temple in Thailand where there are bhikkhunīs
A Vietnamese bhiksuni
Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī
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Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī or simply Prajāpatī was the foster-mother, step-mother and maternal aunt of the Buddha. In Buddhist tradition, she was the first woman to seek ordination for women, which she did
Bhikkhunī
…enlightenment as men. The Canon describes that the order of bhikkhunīs was first created by the Buddha at the specific request of his aunt and foster-mother Mahaprajapati Gotami, who became the first ordained bhikkhunī. A famous work of the early Buddhist schools is the Therigatha, a collection of poems by elder nuns about…
Prince Siddhartha with Mahāprajāpatī Gotami
Painting of Prince Siddhartha with Mahapajapati Gotami
Painting of Pajāpatī Gotamī
Painting of Pajāpatī Gotamī by Sati Saraniya Hermitage