Ambapali

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Ambapali: A Lady of Pleasure Who Attained Buddhist Sainthood

 

Dr.Susunaga Weeraperuma

 

Whenever a human being with an immoral past becomes a saint it is

always cause for great rejoicing. The news about such a rare event is

so inspiring for all seekers. Such a fundamental inner metamorphosis

holds out hope for us poor mortals on earth.

 

Let us consider why Ambapali is held in reverence in the Buddhist

world. It was because of Ambapali's good karma in previous lives that

she was reborn as a contemporary of the Buddha. Superficially, hers

looked like a pleasant and exciting life but, in reality, it was a

deeply troubled one. She showed us the truth that everybody has the

innate capacity to transcend the depths of depravity and ascend to

the very summit of the mountain of spirituality. Her life story is

fascinating. Why did this wealthy and renowned beauty, who had been

enjoying the love and companionship of aristocrats and princes, get

very sick and tired of her sorrowful enslavement to the samsaric

cycle of births and deaths?

 

Ambapali was born in the famous city of Vaisali, the capital of the

kingdom of the aristocratic and affluent Lichchavis who were not only

powerful but also proud. We associate the name of the Buddha with

Vaisali because the Enlightened One visited this place several times

and spent his last retreat in a nearby village.

 

Once a gardener of a Lichchavi ruler discovered a baby girl lying

under an amba (mango) tree. Naturally the infant was called Ambapali.

`Mango-girl' soon became her nickname.

 

According to tradition, Ambapali had no human parents but came into

existence spontaneously. In bygone lives she had not only striven

after spiritual perfection but had even been a nun, having entered

the Order during the ministry of a previous Buddha called Sikhi.

Disgusted with birth by means of parents, she was very keen on

spontaneous rebirth wherein there is no external human agency

whatsoever. That exactly was what took place in her final

reincarnation. The gardener who brought the child to the city might

not have known about the mysterious circumstances surrounding her

birth. Probably the man regarded her as a mere helpless foundling.

 

It is difficult to provide a simple explanation of her spontaneous

origin. All explanations are the product of our fallible minds. Man

makes theories, only to become enslaved by them. Some questions are

probably beyond the capacity of the mind to understand. Nevertheless,

let us investigate this strange happening. Theists might argue that

certain events seem to happen accidentally. They say that this is

only an appearance, since they are all in actual fact preordained by

an unseen omnipotent Being. Others might maintain that the workings

of thought are not at all mysterious but comprehensible to those who

understand the law of karma. Ambapali's strong-willed determination

to be reborn in a specified manner was so powerful that she got her

wish. The karmic seed that she had sown in a former life simply

germinated in a subsequent one.

 

With the passage of time the girl blossomed into a young woman of

great personal charm and beauty. Soon she became the darling of the

rich and famous. Powerful and privileged men wooed her. When some of

the Lichchavi princes eagerly desired to marry Ambapali, hoping

thereby to have exclusive possession of her, it resulted in

bitterness, conflicts and fighting.

 

To be continued...