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Soma Sutta: Sister Soma

Soma Sutta

Summary: Can women achieve Awakening? Ven. Sister Soma handles this misguided question with ease.

SN 5.2 PTS: S i 129 CDB i 222

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

1998-2018

Alternate translations: Bodhi | Olendzki

- Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammā-sambuddhassa -

At Savatthi. Then, early in the morning, Soma the nun put on her robes and, taking her bowl & outer robe, went into Savatthi for alms. When she had gone for alms in Savatthi and had returned from her alms round, after her meal she went to the Grove of the Blind to spend the day. Having gone deep into the Grove of the Blind, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.

Then Mara the Evil One, wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in her, wanting to make her fall away from concentration, approached her & addressed her in verse:

That which is to be attained by seers — the place so very hard to reach — women can't — with their two-inch discernment — attain.

Then the thought occurred to Soma the nun: “Now who has recited this verse — a human being or a non-human one?” Then it occurred to her: “This is Mara the Evil One, who has recited this verse wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in me, wanting to make me fall away from concentration.”

Then, having understood that “This is Mara the Evil One,” she replied to him in verses:

What difference does being a woman make when the mind's well-centered, when knowledge is progressing, seeing clearly, rightly, into the Dhamma. Anyone who thinks 'I'm a woman' or 'a man' or 'Am I anything at all?' — that's who Mara's fit to address.

Then Mara the Evil One — sad & dejected at realizing, “Soma the nun knows me” — vanished right there.

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Provenance:

The source of this work is the gift within Access to Insight “Offline Edition 2012.09.10.14”, last replication 12. March 2013, generously given by John Bullitt and mentioned as: ©1998 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.

This Zugang zur Einsicht edition is 2013 (ATI 1998-2012).

Translations, rebublishing, editing and additions are in the sphere of responsibility of Zugang zur Einsicht.

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How to cite this document (one suggested style): “Soma Sutta: Sister Soma” (SN 5.2), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight, 17 June 2010, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn05/sn05.002.than.html . Retrieved on 10 September 2012 (Offline Edition 2012.09.10.14), republished by Zugang zur Einsicht on http://www.zugangzureinsicht.org/html/tipitaka/sn/sn05/sn05.002.than_en.html retreived on: “date”

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