Biography (7) (Bahuputtika) Soṇā Therī

(a) Her Past Aspiration

The future Bahuputtika Soṇa Therī was reborn into a rich man’s family in the city of Haṃsāvatī, during the time of Buddha Padumuttara. She had occasion to listen to the sermon by the Buddha when she saw a bhikkhunī being named as the foremost bhikkhunī in earnest endeavour. She then had a strong desire to become such a foremost bhikkhunī in the future. So she made an extra-ordinary offering and later, aspired to the title. Buddha Padumuttara prophesied that her aspiration would be fulfilled.

(b) Becoming A Bhikkhunī in Her Last Existence

The future Bahuputtika Soṇa Therī was reborn, for a hundred thousand world-cycles, in the fortunate destinations. During the time of Buddha Gotama, she was reborn into the family of a rich man in Sāvatthi. She was married to the son of a rich man and went to live in her husband’s house. She bore ten children and was known as Soṇa of the many children. When her husband took up bhikkhuhood, she arranged for the marriage of her ten children and bequeathed all her property to them, leaving nothing for herself. The children were all ungrateful to her. None of them was willing to let her stay at their houses for more than two or three days, after which, they treated her unkindly.

The old lady became an unwanted, helpless mother, neglected by her own children. Realizing her dire position, she decided that she must renounce the world and became a bhikkhunī. After she had become a bhikkhunī, her seniors in the Order would scold her for any slight mistake or shortcoming in her community obligations. She was often required to serve out punitive measures by her seniors. When her unkind children saw her undergoing such punishment, instead of taking pity on their old decrepit mother, they made a laughing stock of her saying: “This old women has still not learnt monastic discipline.”

This ridicule by her own children caused emotional religious awakening in her. “I do not have to live long. I must safeguard myself against unfortunate destinies.” So reflecting, she let no time pass, whether sitting or going, or standing or lying down, without uttering and contemplating on the thirty-two aspects (constituent parts) of the body. Then, during all the free moment left to her, after discharging the communal duties to her co-residents, she went into meditation throughout the night. For she rightly realized that for her late age as a bhikkhunī, she could not afford to let a moment pass without being mindful. When she sat meditating at night, she held to a post on the ground floor of her nunnery, without losing hold of it. When she walked, meditating at night, she held a tree with her hand, never letting it go, for fear that she might otherwise bump her head against something in the darkness. (As per Therīgāthā Commentary)

Soṇa Therī’s Name became associated with Earnest Endeavour

When she first became a bhikkhunī, she was called Bahuputtika Soṇa Therī. But later, her earnest endeavour in taking up the three kinds of training earned her the epithet ‘earnest endeavour’ and was known as Āraddha vīriya Soṇa Therī,——Soṇa Therī of earnest endeavour!

Attainment of Arahatship

One day, when the bhikkhunīs went to the Jetavana monastery to receive the Buddha’s admonition, they told Āraddha vīriya Soṇa Therī to boil some water for the community. But before attending to that task, the old bhikkhunī walked up and down the kitchen and contemplated on the thirty two aspects of the body, uttering each item.

The Buddha saw her, while sitting in His private-chamber at the Jetavana monastery and sent forth the Buddha-rays to her, making His person visible to her, and uttered this verse:

“Even though one should live a hundred years without seeing the sublime Dhamma (i.e. the Supramundane Dhamma comprising nine factors), yet more worthwhile indeed is a single day’s life of one who perceives the sublime Dhamma.”

After thus hearing the Buddha’s discourse made through the Buddha’s rays (which also made her see the Buddha in person), Āraddha vīriya Soṇa Therī attained arahatship. She now thought: “I have attained arahatta-phala. Those who do not know this will, on their return from the Jetavana monastery, treat me with disrespect (as usual) which will resulted in them doing great demerit. I must let them know about my attainment of arahatship so as to forewarn them. She placed the pot of water for boiling on the fireplace but did not make the fire.

When the co-resident bhikkhunīs returned from the Buddha’s monastery, they saw no fire at the fireplace and murmured: “We told the old woman to boil some water for the community but she has not even made the fire.” Then Soṇa Therī said to them: “Friends, what use with the fire? Let anyone who needs warm water take it from that pot (on the unlit fireplace).” The co-residents were surprised by these strange words and they realized that there must be some reason for the old bhikkhunī to say so. They went to the pot and felt the water inside. It was quite warm. They took an empty pot to the fireplace and poured out the warm water into it. Whenever they took out the water from that pot, the pot became filled up again.

Then only the bhikkhunīs realized that Soṇa Therī had attained arahatship. Those bhikkhunīs who were junior in bhikkhunī standing to Soṇa Therī made obeisance to her with fivefold contact, and said: “Venerable, we had been foolish in being disrespectful to you and bullied you. For all these transgressions, we beg your pardon.” Those bhikkhunīs, who were senior in bhikkhunī standing, sat squatting before Soṇa Therī, and said: “Venerable, pardon us for our misbehaviour.”

(c) Soṇa Therī as The Foremost Bhikkhunī

Soṇa Therī became an example of how an elderly person could become an arahat by dint of earnest effort.

On one occasion, when the Buddha sat in congregation at the Jetavana monastery naming foremost bhikkhunīs, He declared:

“Bhikkhus, among My bhikkhunī-disciples who have diligence and make earnest effort, Bhikkhunī Soṇa is the foremost (etadagga).”