Maya (mother of Buddha)
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Queen Māyā of Sakya was the birth mother of the historical Gautama Buddha, Siddhārtha of the Gautama gotra, and sister of Mahapajapati Gotami the first woman ordained by the Buddha. "Māyā" means "illusion" or "enchantment" in Sanskrit and Pāli. Māyā is also called Mahāmāyā ("great Māyā") or Māyādevī ("Queen, literally 'goddess,' Māyā"). In Tibetan she is called Gyutrulma. Queen Mayadevi was born in Devadaha kingdom of ancient Nepal.
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[edit] Marriage and childbirth
Māyā married king Śuddhodana (Pāli: Suddhodana), the ruler of the Śākya clan of Kapilvastu. She was the daughter of King Śuddhodhana's uncle and therefore his cousin; her father was king of Devadaha.
[edit] The birth of the Buddha-to-be
Queen Māyā and King Suddhodhana did not have children for twenty years into their marriage. One day however, according to legend, Queen Māyā dreamt of a white elephant entering her side, and became pregnant. According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha-to-be was residing as a Bodhisattva, in the Tuṣita heaven, and decided to take the shape of a white elephant to be reborn, for the last time, on Earth. Māyā gave birth to Siddharta c. 563 BCE. The pregnancy lasted ten lunar months. Following custom, the Queen returned to her own home for the birth. On the way, she stepped down from her palanquin to have a walk in the beautiful flower garden of Lumbini Park, Lumbini Zone. She was delighted by the park and she reached for a branch to take a rest. Again according to legend, at this time Prince Siddhārtha emerged from her right side and was born. It was the eighth day of April. She gave him his first bath in the Puskarini pond in Lumbini Zone. Siddhārtha means "He who has accomplished his goals" or "The accomplished goal".
Queen Māyā died seven days after the birth of the Buddha-to-be, and went to the Tuṣita Heaven. Her sister Prajāpatī (Pāli: Pajāpatī or Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī) became the child's foster mother.
After Prince Siddhartha had gained perfection and became the Buddha, he visited his mother in heaven for three months to pay respects and to teach the Dharma.
[edit] Religious parallels
- See also: Syncretism and Christianized myths and imagery
Some interpretations of the life story of the Buddha attribute his birth to a virgin birth. This is likely due to a specific interpretation of the prophetic dream Queen Māyā is said to have had prior to conception and is not a widely held view amongst Buddhists. As she is described to have been married to King Śuddhodhana for many years, there is no indication that she would have been a virgin at the time of Siddhārtha's conception. Nonetheless, this interpretation has led to parallels being drawn with the birth story of Jesus.
The story of the birth of the Buddha was known in the West, and possibly influenced the story of the birth of Jesus.[citation needed] Saint Jerome (4th century CE) mentions the birth of the Buddha, who he says "was born from the side of a virgin". Also a fragment of Archelaos of Carrha (278 CE) mentions the Buddha's virgin-birth.
Other interesting parallels in the birth stories include:
- The similarity in the sounds of the names of Mary and Maya.
- Both women conceived during a remarkable vision.
- Both women gave birth "outside" of a home.
- Heavenly wonders appeared in the sky.
- Angels announced the newborn as "savior" of the world.
- Sages came to visit the newborn and make prophecies of auspicious careers.
[edit] False etymologies
- The name Māyā is completely unrelated[citation needed] to Maria (Mary), which is a Greek form of the Hebrew name Miriam.
- Also unrelated[citation needed] is the Greek goddess Maia, the mother of Hermes, whose name means "mother" in Greek. The fact that the planet Mercury is called Budha in Sanskrit is a coincidence; budha means "intelligent", and reflects the traditional association of gods of learning such as Mercury, Hermes, and Nabu with the planet Mercury. Budha is a different word from Buddha in Sanskrit and is spelt differently.
[edit] See also
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