Aggasāvikā Bhikkhunī Chant - the Foremost Bhikkhunis

Our friends at Empty Cloud Monastery in New Jersey USA, chanting verses praising the many achievements of Bhikkhunis at the time of the Buddha.

A simple but wonderful idea to add this to our regular chanting repertoire! Nice work to all the monastics including forum member Samanera Sumano @Sumano.

The chant is a combination of text from the Mahāvaccha Sutta MN 73 and the lists of foremost Bhikkhunis found in the Pañcama Vagga AN 1.235–247

8.3 “There are not just one hundred such nuns who are my disciples, Vaccha, or two or three or four or five hundred, but many more than that.”
“Na kho, vaccha, ekaṃyeva sataṃ na dve satāni na tīṇi satāni na cattāri satāni na pañca satāni, atha kho bhiyyova yā bhikkhuniyo mama sāvikā āsavānaṃ khayā anāsavaṃ cetovimuttiṃ paññāvimuttiṃ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṃ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharantī”ti.

1.1The foremost of my nun disciples in seniority is Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī.“Etadaggaṃ, bhikkhave, mama sāvikānaṃ bhikkhunīnaṃ rattaññūnaṃ yadidaṃ mahāpajāpatigotamī. (1)

2.1with great wisdom is Khemā.… Mahāpaññānaṃ yadidaṃ khemā. (2)

3.1with psychic power is Uppalavaṇṇā.… Iddhimantīnaṃ yadidaṃ uppalavaṇṇā. (3)

4.1who have memorized the texts on monastic training is Paṭācārā.… Vinayadharānaṃ yadidaṃ paṭācārā. (4)

5.1who speak on the teaching is Dhammadinnā.… Dhammakathikānaṃ yadidaṃ dhammadinnā. (5)

6.1who practice absorption is Nandā.… Jhāyīnaṃ yadidaṃ nandā. (6)

7.1who are energetic is Soṇā.… Āraddhavīriyānaṃ yadidaṃ soṇā. (7)

8.1with clairvoyance is Sakulā.… Dibbacakkhukānaṃ yadidaṃ bakulā. (8)

9.1with swift insight is Bhaddā Kuṇḍalakesā.… Khippābhiññānaṃ yadidaṃ bhaddā kuṇḍalakesā. (9)

10.1who recollect past lives is Bhaddā Kāpilānī.… Pubbenivāsaṃ anussarantīnaṃ yadidaṃ bhaddā kāpilānī. (10)

11.1who have attained great insight is Bhaddakaccānā.… Mahābhiññāpattānaṃ yadidaṃ bhaddakaccānā. (11)

12.1who wear coarse robes is Kisāgotamī.… Lūkhacīvaradharānaṃ yadidaṃ kisāgotamī. (12)

13.1who are strong in faith is Siṅgālakamātā.”… Saddhādhimuttānaṃ yadidaṃ siṅgālakamātā”ti. (13)

:pray::pray::pray:

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We chant this every morning at Empty Cloud Monastery.

For those who are interested, the chanting Sheet can be found here: https://buddhistinsights.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Aggasavika-Bhikkhuni-sutta.pdf

Happy 2021! May all beings swiftly attain awakening!

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Thanks @ayyasoma!
Nice to see you here :pray:

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Here is a popular version that’s been around a while, but can’t recall who recorded it. (Aloka Vihara bhikkhunis? Amma Thanasanti?) I’ve tried to join in with it, but it’s better just for listening, not conducive to chanting along like the Empty Cloud version - glad to gain that one. Thanks so much!

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I recognized it from the Aloka Vihara website. The name is Mel Zeki. Theravada Nuns Chanting in Pali Language

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Wow that’s a very upbeat and joyous version! It’s nice as a solo piece to listen to as you say. Great to know there are more versions out there! :pray::pray::pray:

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Well spotted, and there are other versions there too.

Many thanks for directing to me their chanting page which I had never seen before.

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