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Therigatha: Poems of the First Buddhist Women
(Murty Classical Library of India #3)
by
The Therīgāthā, composed more than two millennia ago, is an anthology of poems in the Pali language by and about the first Buddhist women. These women were therīs, the senior ones, among ordained Buddhist women, and they bore that epithet because of their religious achievements. The poems they left behind are arguably among the most ancient examples of women’s writing in
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Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
January 6th 2015
by Harvard University Press
(first published November 17th 2014)
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Start your review of Therigatha: Poems of the First Buddhist Women
Very interesting poetry from the 6th to the 3rd century BCE, written by theris, or ‘ “senior ones” among ordained Buddhist women. The introduction quotes Dhhammapala (6th C commentator on the work) calling them udana, or ‘inspired utterances. This is a brief note because I’m pressed for time; hopefully I’ll fill in more later.
There are many rote phrases, and they dominate the shorter poems, so the uniqueness comes from only a few words in these first works in the collection. But as the poems ...more
There are many rote phrases, and they dominate the shorter poems, so the uniqueness comes from only a few words in these first works in the collection. But as the poems ...more
The Therigatha, or Verses of the Elder Sisters, constitutes the earliest-known anthology of literature written by women. This collection of Pali poems provides unique insight into the lives and values of early Buddhist women renunciates. In poems ranging between one and a few dozen verses, our poets present evocative images of the path, typically beginning with a presentation of the sorrows of the life they knew, followed by a portrait of their awakening.
I came to think of them very much in ...more
I came to think of them very much in ...more
An Ancient Buddhist Classic In A New Series Of Indian Writing
Many people have learned a great deal through the Loeb Classical Library of Greek and Roman writing. A new series, modeled on the Loeb Classical Library, has the aim of presenting Indian writing to English readers. The series is called the "Murty Classical Library of India" after Rohan Narayana Murty, a PhD in computer science and intellectual polymath, who generously donated money to fund the project. As stated on its Website, the ...more
Many people have learned a great deal through the Loeb Classical Library of Greek and Roman writing. A new series, modeled on the Loeb Classical Library, has the aim of presenting Indian writing to English readers. The series is called the "Murty Classical Library of India" after Rohan Narayana Murty, a PhD in computer science and intellectual polymath, who generously donated money to fund the project. As stated on its Website, the ...more
The Therigatha is an anthology of poems composed by the first Buddhist women who were called theris owing to their seniority and their religious achievements. The book is a collection of some of the very first poems composed in India and definitely some of the first poems composed by women in India.
The poems in this anthology are arranged according to verses ranging from one to forty. The one and two verse poems are quite simple. However, from three verses onward the poems become multi-layered ...more
The poems in this anthology are arranged according to verses ranging from one to forty. The one and two verse poems are quite simple. However, from three verses onward the poems become multi-layered ...more
Exceptional poetry written by Buddhist nuns-- the latest poems in this anthology date from the 3rd century BCE, making this collection the earliest anthology of women's writing we have. Interesting also for the various situations these women faced-- some familiar to us, and others unimaginable to us.
Mar 15, 2018
Aubrey
marked it as to-read-actual
Whoever got rid of the 'Various' in the author description is a cocksucking numbfuck who thinks white boy translations justify ownership of nonwhite women's voices.
i enjoyed the buddhist women. they were pleasant
A really fascinating anthology of poetry mostly attributed to women who received teaching from the Buddha, written in the Pali language (with facing English translation). This is the first book I have ever purchased from the Murty Classical Library of India, a series from Harvard University Press that expands the model originally made popular with the Loeb Classical Library of Greek and Latin texts with facing English translation: a library of classics from India (apparently in various languages
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'Therigatha' is an anthology of poems by the first Buddhist women (therīs), written in Pali and translated into English by Charles Hallisey. The verses talk of the renouncement and the journey towards enlightenment.
The translation doesn't seem to betray the original, which adds to the joy of reading.
And oh, did I mention how much I love the book cover?
The translation doesn't seem to betray the original, which adds to the joy of reading.
And oh, did I mention how much I love the book cover?
An excellent translation of the Therigatha!! Easy to read and follow, plus there are some great notes about the women's lives before they joined the order.
A very elegant translation.
So metal.
I really enjoyed this collection a lot! I was not expecting it to be such an easy read because my background on Buddhism is not very extensive, but the poems are actually very simple and easy to follow. There were a few times where I would have liked a note or a more thorough note for some terms or ideas, but ultimately, the notes were very helpful! Especially the notes that gave the background stories of the women! I was really surprised that the history and legends behind most of these women
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I wanted to like this. It's a classic of Buddhist literature. The introduction comparing the Buddhist poems to classical love poetry was fascinating. I'm sure the poetry in Pali is beautiful. There's a somewhat comical story of a woman gouging out her eyeball in response to a man's compliments of her eyes. But... reading woman after woman saying how she had rooted out the seed of desire, she no longer oozed out depravities, she became free after becoming disgusted with existence, I realized this
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My teacher recommended this book to me at a recent study session and for a long time, I wasn't really sure why. You can read this book cover to cover time and time again and not realise or appreciate its simplicity, purity and value, but when you do, you'll want to keep it close by at all times.
My review of it is personal to me, but I just wanted to share that it's a beautiful book, I wish I'd read it earlier
My review of it is personal to me, but I just wanted to share that it's a beautiful book, I wish I'd read it earlier
Wonderfully depicted accounts of early Buddhist nuns in India. Having the original text on the left page and translation on the right makes me wish I could understand Pali. The footnotes and further translations at the end of the book help to achieve a deeper understanding of the terms and references used.
Beautiful , both simple and to the point and yet compelling and personal even though these poems were written a very long time ago.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| 500 Great Books B...: Therigatha: Poems of the First Buddhist Women - Various - Benjamin | 1 | 7 | Feb 06, 2016 11:27AM | |
| Murty Classical L...: Therigatha: Poems of the First Buddhist Women | 7 | 21 | Nov 05, 2015 11:18PM |
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