Utpalavarṇā

Utpalavarṇā (P. Uppalavaṇṇā; T. ut pal mdog ཨུཏ་པལ་མདོག; C. lianhuase) was a Buddhist nun (bhikkhuni) who was considered one of the top two female disciples of the Buddha, along with Khema. She was given the name Utpalavarṇā, meaning "color of a blue water lily", at birth due to the bluish color of her skin.

According to the Pali tradition, Uppalavanna (Pali) 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 school within the Sanskrit tradition, Utpalavarṇā had a tumultuous life as a wife and courtesan before converting to Buddhism and becoming a bhikkhuni.

She developed a mastery of iddhipada, or psychic powers, leading the Buddha to declare her his female disciple foremost in psychic powers.

Sources

• Bodhi, Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997). Uppalavanna Sutta: Uppalavanna (SN 5.5). Retrieved 2007-10-19 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn05/sn05.005.bodh.html.
• Paw Dhamma Center (n.d.). The Chief Disciple Uppalavanna Theri. Retrieved from Paw Dhamma Center at http://home.earthlink.net/~mpaw1235/id11.html.
• Upalavanna, Sister (trans.) (n.d.). Etadaggavagga: These are the foremost (AN 1:14). Retrieved 2007-10-19 from "MettaNet" at http://www.metta.lk/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/4Anguttara-Nikaya/Anguttara1/1-ekanipata/014-Etadaggapali-e.html.

External links

• Bodhi, Bhikkhu (ed., trans.) (1997). Discourses of the Ancient Nuns (Bhikkhuni-samyutta) (Bodhi Leaves Publication No. 143). Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. Retrieved 2007-10-19 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/bl143.html.
• Nibbana.com (n.d.). "Life Histories of Bhikkhuni Arahats: The story of Uppalavanna Theri". Retrieved from "Nibbana.com" at http://www.triplegem.plus.com/gcobbkn1.htm#3.