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Therigatha

Verses of the Elder Nuns

(selected verses)

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See also the Theragatha (Verses of the Elder Monks).


The Therigatha, the ninth book of the Khuddaka Nikaya, consists of 73 poems (522 verses in all) in which the early nuns (bhikkhunis) recount their struggles and accomplishments along the road to arahantship. Their stories are told with often heart-breaking honesty and beauty, revealing the deeply human side of these extraordinary women, and thus serve as inspiring reminders of our own potential to follow in their footsteps.

An anthology of selected suttas from the Khuddaka Nikaya (including the Therigatha), translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, is also available in Microsoft Word 6 (Macintosh/Windows) format. See the Theravada Text Archives page for more information.

The braces {} that follow each sutta title contain the verse numbers of the corresponding Pali text of the Therigatha.



See also: Inspiration from Enlightened Nuns (Susan Elbaum Jootla).
Revised: Tue 16 April 2002
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/khuddaka/therigatha/index.html