Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Therigatha · 5.11

Thirty Nuns

Tiṅsamattā — The Book of the Fives · Poem 11 of 12

Setting
A single night, tracked across its three watches
Speaker
Paṭācārā's instruction, then a third-person account of thirty nuns' shared realization
Form
Five verses, mostly six lines, closing on a prose colophon
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
This reading guide does not assert a specific matching text for this poem in other Buddhist literatures.
Difficulty
★★★★☆ — the collection's only account of a shared, collective realization

Why this text

Every other poem in this collection narrates one woman's own path. This one is different: after Paṭācārā instructs a group of listeners directly, the poem shifts to the third person plural and tracks thirty nuns' realization across a single night's three watches, closing with a prose line confirming the event plainly: ‘that is how thirty senior nuns declared their enlightenment in the presence of Paṭācārā’.

Reading guide

An instruction, addressed to a group

Paṭācārā's own words open the poem, contrasting young men who labor for worldly wealth with a direct call: ‘do the Buddha's bidding, you won't regret it... devoted to serenity of heart, do the Buddha's bidding’.

Three watches, three attainments, shared by all

The poem tracks the night precisely: past lives recollected in the first watch, clairvoyance purified in the second, and in the third, ‘they shattered the mass of darkness’ — the same phrase closing Thig 3.2, 3.7, and 3.8, now marking a shared realization rather than one woman's alone.

A comparison to the gods honoring Indra

‘We shall abide honoring you, as the Thirty gods honor Indra, undefeated in battle’ is an unusually elevated, mythological image for a teacher-student bond, closing the nuns' own declaration of mastery.

A prose line, confirming the event plainly

The poem's final line drops verse entirely: ‘that is how thirty senior nuns declared their enlightenment in the presence of Paṭācārā’ — a simple, direct colophon, unlike anything closing another poem in this collection so far.

Key terms

Paṭācārā — the teacher whose instruction, given directly in this poem's opening verses, leads to the collective realization that follows.
cetosamatha — “serenity of heart” — what Paṭācārā's listeners are instructed to devote themselves to.
tamokkhandha — “the mass of darkness” — shattered here for a fourth time in this collection, echoing Thig 3.2, 3.7, and 3.8.
tevijjā — “masters of the three knowledges” — how the thirty nuns describe themselves in their own closing declaration.
aññaṅ byākariṅsū — “declared their enlightenment” — the phrase in this poem's closing prose colophon, confirming the event plainly.

The text

The text in full: Paṭācārā's instruction, the nuns' shared realization, and a closing prose colophon. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1“Taking a pestle, young men pound grain. Providing for partners and children, young men acquire wealth.

§2Do the Buddha’s bidding, you won’t regret it. Having quickly washed your feet, sit in a discreet place to meditate. Devoted to serenity of heart, do the Buddha’s bidding.”

§3After hearing her words, the instructions of Paṭācārā, they washed their feet and retired to a discreet place. Devoted to serenity of heart, they did the Buddha’s bidding.

§4In the first watch of the night, they recollected their past lives. In the middle watch of the night, they purified their clairvoyance. In the last watch of the night, they shattered the mass of darkness.

§5They rose and paid homage at her feet: “We have done your bidding; we shall abide honoring you, as the Thirty gods honor Indra, undefeated in battle. Masters of the three knowledges, we are free of defilements.”

§6That is how thirty senior nuns declared their enlightenment in the presence of Paṭācārā.

· · ·

Self-check quiz

Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 10
How does this poem differ structurally from every other poem in this collection so far?
Correct: A. The collection's only account of a shared, group realization.
Question 2 of 10
What does Paṭācārā's opening instruction contrast worldly labor with?
Correct: C. Ordinary labor for wealth, set against her direct instruction.
Question 3 of 10
What happens in the first watch of the night, according to this poem?
Correct: B. The first of three watches, each marked by a specific attainment.
Question 4 of 10
What happens in the third and final watch?
Correct: C. The same phrase closing Thig 3.2, 3.7, and 3.8, now marking a shared realization.
Question 5 of 10
What comparison do the nuns use to describe their devotion to Paṭācārā?
Correct: A. An unusually elevated, mythological image for a teacher-student bond.
Question 6 of 10
How does this poem close?
Correct: C. A simple, direct closing line unlike any other poem's ending so far in this collection.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'tevijjā' mean, as the nuns use it of themselves?
Correct: D. Their own declared title, closing their account.
Question 8 of 10
How many times, counting this poem, has 'the mass of darkness' now been shattered in this collection?
Correct: D. A recurring image for decisive breakthrough, now marking a group's shared attainment.
Question 9 of 10
How does this poem relate to Thig 5.10, the poem immediately before it?
Correct: B. Paṭācārā's own path in 5.10 leads directly into the mass realization she inspires here.
Question 10 of 10
What does 'cetosamatha' mean?
Correct: B. Named directly in her opening instruction.
Answered 0 of 10 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousThig 5.10 · Paṭācārā