Mother’s Day offers an opportunity to reflect on what motherhood means in different religions and cultures.
The historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, taught that family ties were obstacles to enlightenment. According to the Buddha, attachment to family causes suffering because family relationships eventually end and cannot offer lasting contentment. The main goal of Buddhism is to break the cycle of rebirth, which is characterized by suffering.
However, one family tie remained important for the Buddha — his relationship with his mother. Even after the Buddha left home, he continued to honor two mother figures — his biological mother, Maya, and his foster mother, known as Mahaprajapati Gautami in Sanskrit and Mahapajapati Gotami in the Pali language, which was used for early Buddhist scriptures in ancient India. These women played key roles in the Buddha’s life story, and they continue to inspire Buddhists today. Mahaprajapati specifically inspires women as the first Buddhist nun.
Associate Professor of Religious Studies Megan Bryson, a scholar of Buddhism and gender, shares how complicated Buddhists attitudes toward mothers can be and offers insight into the legacies of the Buddha’s mothers. Read more at The Conversation.
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Cindi King (865-974-0937, cking126@utk.edu)