Therika
Spoken by the Buddha to her

Now that you live among therīs, Therika,
the name you were given as a child finally becomes you.
So sleep well, covered with cloth you have made,
your passion for sex shrivelled away
like a herb dried up in a pot.

Mutta
Spoken by the Buddha to her

The name you are called by means freed, Mutta,
so be freed from what holds you back,
like the moon from the grasp of Rahu
at the end of an eclipse.
When nothing is owed because the mind is completely free
you can relish food collected as alms.

Punna
Spoken by the Buddha to her

The name you are called by means full, Punna,
so be filled with good things, like the moon when it is full,
break through all that is dark with wisdom made full.

Tissa
Spoken by the Buddha to her

Tissa, train yourself strictly, don’t let
what can hold you back overwhelm you.
When you are free from everything that holds you back
you can live in the world
without the depravities that ooze out from within.

Another Tissa
Addressing herself, repeating what was spoken by the Buddha to her

Tissa, hold fast to good things, don’t let the moment
escape.
Those who end up in hell cry over moments now past.

Dhira
Addressing herself, repeating what was spoken by the Buddha to her

The name you are called by means self-reliance, Dhira,
so know these for yourself:
cessation, the stilling of projections, happiness.
Attain nibbana, unsurpassed safety from all that holds you
back.

Vira
Addressing herself, repeating what was spoken by the Buddha to her

The name you are called by means hero, Vira,
it’s a good name for you because of your heroic qualities,
you are a nun who knows how to know well.
Take care of the body, it’s your last,
just make sure it doesn’t become a vehicle for death after
this.

Mitta
Addressing herself, repeating what was spoken by the Buddha to her

The name you are called by means friend, Mitta,
you became a nun out of faith,
now be someone who delights in friends,
become morally skillful
for the sake of that unsurpassed safety from all that holds
you back.

Bhadra
Addressing herself, repeating what was spoken by the Buddha to her

The name you are called by means auspicious, Bhadra,
you became a nun out of faith,
now be someone who delights in auspicious things,
become morally skillful
for the sake of that unsurpassed safety from all that holds
you back.

Excerpted with permission from Poems Of The First Buddhist Women, translated by Charles Hallisey, Murty Classical Library of India and Harvard University Press.