The first full biography of Mahaprajapati Gautami, the woman who raised the Buddha-examining her life through stories and canonical records.
WENDY GARLING is a writer, mother, gardener, independent scholar,
and authorized dharma teacher with a BA from Wellesley College and
MA in Sanskrit language and literature from the University of
California, Berkeley. She is the author of Stars at Dawn- Forgotten
Stories of Women in the Buddha's Life (2016, Shambhala
Publications), a groundbreaking new biography of the Buddha that
relates his journey to awakening through the stories of Buddhism's
first women. For many years Wendy has taught women's spirituality
focusing on Buddhist traditions, while also pursuing original
research into women's stories from ancient Sanskrit and Pali
literature. As a freelance writer and editor, Wendy was on the
editorial team at the Boston Women's Health Collective for the 2005
edition of Our Bodies Ourselves and several subsequent BWHC
publications. She also wrote business articles for The Palladium
Group, published through Harvard Business Publishing.
A Tibetan Buddhist practitioner, Wendy has studied with teachers of
different schools and lineages, foremost her refuge lama His
Holiness the 16th Karmapa (who gave her the name Karma Dhonden
Lhamo), her kind root lama, the late Sera Je Geshe Acharya Thubten
Loden, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama whom she first met in 1979.
From 1991-92 she coordinated the Georgia chapter of the
International Year of Tibet, helping to bring many Tibetan cultural
and religious events to Atlanta and Emory University. Pilgrimage
has played an important role in Wendy's life- in 2007 she journeyed
to the sites of women saints in Tibet, and in 2012 and 2018 to
sacred sites of the Buddha in India. Her dream is to bring back the
stories of Buddhism's first women, reawaken their voices, and
ensure that they are not just remembered, but valorized as integral
to the roots of Buddhism. Wendy lives in Concord, Massachusetts and
can be reached at wendy.garling@yahoo.com.
“Mahaprajapati lived more than 2,500 years ago and resources that
might shed light on her life are rare. I therefore commend Wendy
Garling for her extensive research, putting pieces from multiple
sources together with her personal reflections, to write her book
The Woman Who Raised the Buddha.”—from the foreword by H.H. the
Fourteenth Dalai Lama
“An important contribution to filling a major gap in Buddhist
studies and a triumph in understanding Buddhism through a feminist
lens.”—Library Journal
“A no-brainer for historians and serious students of
Buddhism.”—Publishers Weekly
“Garling’s book helps restore balance to the Buddhist narrative,
relying on early women’s stories translated from Buddhism’s first
written languages. . . . It illuminates the turbulent life and
times of Mahaprajapati, a woman who not only loved and nurtured her
adopted son as her own, but had the courage and spirit of adventure
needed to confront entrenched men’s dominance.”—Foreword
Reviews
“Scholar and dharma teacher Wendy Garling’s groundbreaking new
biography, The Woman Who Raised the Buddha draws a captivating
portrait of a foundational but often overlooked figure in Buddhism.
. . . Garling blends storytelling and insightful commentary to
reinstate Mahaprajapati as an inspiring first mother of
Buddhism.”—Lion’s Roar
“In this winning biography, researcher Wendy Garling introduces
readers to Mahaprajapati. . . . Her writing is clearly informed by
deep primary-source research into Buddhist texts from across Asia.
Part of the joy of the book is the way she weaves together story
after story—this one from Thailand, that one from Myanmar or
Tibet—to piece together Mahaprajapati’s life.”—Wellesley
Magazine
“By reconstructing Mahaprajapati’s life, Garling introduces us to a
network of women who sought deeper connections with each other and
their communities; women who were brave, intelligent, and flawed,
who experienced joy and suffering, and who rallied together to
fight for their rightful place in both the physical world and in
the spiritual realm. The result is captivating, and Garling’s
storytelling qualities make this book a real pleasure to
read.”—Buddhistdoor Global
“Highly recommend this pioneering account of [Mahaprajapati], a
remarkable woman’s life and legacy, not least because it introduces
us to some remarkably moving and instructive stories, succeeding
admirably in shifting its subject from relative marginalisation to
a central role, in which she certainly belongs.”—Asian Review of
Books
“A work of exceptional scholarship that has created an impressively
informative biography that reads with all the compelling interest
of a well-honed novel, The Woman Who Raised the Buddha: The
Extraordinary Life of Mahaprajapati must be considered as a
'must-read' volume for all Buddhists. Having an immense value for
both academia and the nonspecialist general reader with an interest
in the subject, The Woman Who Raised the Buddha is especially and
unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university
library Buddhist Studies collections.”—Midwest Book Review
“We extend deep gratitude to Wendy Garling for all her meticulous
research into the story of Mahaprajapati Gautami, bringing to light
forgotten anecdotes and illuminating this most important woman in
Buddhist history. In this fascinating book, Mahaprajapati comes
alive and we appreciate her enormous contribution—from nursing the
infant bodhisattva to helping her stepson the Buddha establish his
vision of the Fourfold Sangha. Who knew that the marvelous
circumstances at the time of her death exceeded those of the Buddha
Himself? She was indeed supreme among nuns.”—Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo,
Founding Director of Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery
“Weaving together dozens of ancient sources and informed by the
very best modern scholarship, Wendy Garling’s life story of
Mahaprajapati is destined to become the definitive study of this
important figure. An extraordinary tale of an extraordinary woman
by an extraordinarily gifted writer, The Woman Who Raised the
Buddha is an important contribution to the burgeoning literature
about the pivotal role women have played in the Buddhist tradition.
A must-read.”—José Ignacio Cabezón, Dalai Lama Professor, UC Santa
Barbara, and president of the American Academy of Religion
“Wendy Garling brings together here a myriad of stories about
Mahaprajapati, the mother who raised the Buddha, and shares them
with us, sometimes by quotations, other times by retelling them
with elegance and grace. This in itself is a great gift, but much
more is to be found here. Modelling for us how the
imagination can be used as an investigative tool, Wendy Garling
traces for us some of the subjective layers, such as a mother’s
love and the loyalty between sisters, that are woven into the
foundations of Buddhism. She teaches us how to appreciate these
beautiful stories about Mahaprajapati and in doing so, she reminds
us that human love as well as human suffering lie embedded together
at the very core of Buddhist teaching and life.”—Charles Hallisey,
Harvard Divinity School
“A groundbreaking book whose time has come! The stories of the
women in the Buddha’s time hold great meaning and power. A
must-read for anyone interested in the teachings of the Buddha. I
enjoyed every moment of reading it!”—Spring Washam, author of A
Fierce Heart
“Garling’s book transports us into the intimate and remarkable life
of the most important Buddhist woman nobody knows—mother of the
sage and first Buddhist nun. From a cache of newly discovered lore,
Mahaprajapati inspires all women to awaken, undaunted by hesitancy
or obstacles.”—Judith Simmer-Brown, Naropa University professor and
author of Dakini’s Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan
Buddhism
“This is an important historical corrective, examining the early
Buddhist world through the lens of one of its most powerful women,
Mahaprajapati Gautami—the Buddha’s aunt and foster mother, wife of
the Buddha’s father, queen of the Shakya republic, and initiator of
the order of nuns. Garling has written a page turner.”—Andy Rotman,
Professor of Religion, Buddhist Studies, and South Asian Studies at
Smith College
“A brave, extraordinary, and powerful rendering of the life of the
mother of the Buddha, this remarkable book is eye-opening and
heart-opening.”—Roshi Joan Halifax, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center
“The Woman Who Raised the Buddha tells the story of Mahaprajapati,
who enjoyed not only a familial relationship with the Buddha as his
stepmother and aunt, but also shared a treasured Dharma connection
as his closest female disciple who helped him to establish and
educate the Order of Bhikkhuṇis (fully ordained women). As both a
scholar and Buddhist practitioner, Wendy Garling skillfully weaves
the story of Mahaprajapati’s life, sometimes through the eyes of a
historian, other times inviting us to imagine being in the presence
of these holy beings, hearing their conversations and witnessing
their personal exchanges. A delightful book, like no other.”—Ven.
Thubten Chodron, founder and abbess of Sravasti Abbey, Dharma
teacher, and author of Buddhism for Beginners and Working with
Anger
“The Buddha said, ‘Still there are fools who doubt that women too
can grasp the truth. Gotami, show your spiritual power, that they
might give up false views.’ How good it is to see this book appear
now in our world. How welcome. How timely. These stories need to be
told. For all those who have wanted to know more about the awesome
lady who was both the mother of the Buddha and founding woman elder
of the ancient Buddhist monastic order of awakened women, the
Bhikkhuni Sangha—this book is for you.”—Ven. Bhikkhuni Ayya
Tathaloka Theri, founding teacher, Dhammadharini Sangha
“Using numerous and varied translations of Buddhist texts, Wendy
Garling has here reimagined and reconstructed a rich and inspiring
life story of Mahaprajapati, the Buddha’s foster-mother and the
first Buddhist nun. By doing so, Garling has proven her superb
skills as a storyteller and writer.”—Jan Willis, author of Dharma
Matters: Women, Race, and Tantra and Dreaming Me: Black, Baptist,
and Buddhist
“This narrative rendering of Mahaprajapati’s life gladdens the
heart, illuminating the silence that has concealed her remarkable
achievements.”—Karma Lekshe Tsomo, professor of Buddhism and World
Religions at University of San Diego
“How precious to have a deep look into the life of the most
important woman in the Buddha’s life. Usually we just hear her name
and know she was turned down in her first attempts to receive
ordination, but other than that we have had little information.
Now, through Wendy Garling’s masterful research into redacted
sources and her beautiful writing, we gain a full portrait of this
fascinating foremother of Buddhism. The Woman Who Raised the Buddha
adds a precious missing link to the history of women in
Buddhism.”—Lama Tsultrim Allione, author of Wisdom Rising: Journey
into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine
“The contemporary revival of the bhikkhuni order makes this
beautiful and compelling book especially timely. Mahaprajapati, the
first Buddhist nun, emerges as a strong advocate for women on a
spiritual path, a wise and beloved teacher, and an accomplished
practitioner with emotionally rich and caring relationships.
Weaving together stories from multiple traditions, Garling invites
us to reimagine the foundation and qualities of these traditions,
with women at the heart of Buddhism.”—William Edelglass, Director
of Studies, Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and Associate
Professor, Emerson College
“Wendy Garling’s The Woman Who Raised the Buddha is spell-binding.
It is magnificent the way she uses extensive research to piece
together the life story of Mahaprajapati, the sister of Buddha’s
birth mother, Mayadevi, and the actual mother who took over his
nursing and raising when her sister Maya passed away seven days
after Buddha’s birth. It may be that it has always ‘taken a
village’ for any individual to make a profound transformation of
any society and even the world, and it definitely is the case that
the women of that village are the too often unacknowledged drivers
of the transformation. The men later tell the story as if the
individual man did it all along, and they write it that way as
history. What Garling has done in this, and in her previous work,
is correct that picture, showing how the ‘network of angels’
(ḍakinijala) of the brave and intelligent women of a community make
the life of the community possible. Reading this book, you are
transported back into the Buddha’s life and the real herstory of
how the sangha movement launched the social revolution that he
sparked. This book is a delight, an illumination, and a
must-read.”—Padma Shri Robert Thurman, Professor Emeritus, Columbia
University
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