Queen Maya

From Buddhist Encyclopedia

Queen Māyā's white elephant dream, and the conception of the Buddha. Gandhara, 2-3rd century CE.

Queen Māyā was the birth mother of the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha of the Gautama gotra, and sister of Mahapajapati Gotami the first woman ordained by the Buddha. "Māyā" means "illusion" or "enchantment" in Sanskrit and Pāli. Māyā is also called Mahāmāyā ("great Māyā") or Māyādevī ("Queen, literally 'goddess,' Māyā"). In Tibetan she is called Gyutrulma.

Marriage and Childbirth

Māyā married king Śuddhodana (Pāli: Suddhodana), the ruler of the Śākya clan of members of the kṣatriya varṇa. She was the daughter of King Śuddhodhana's uncle and therefore his cousin; her father was king of a neighboring subdivision of the same Śākya clan

The birth of the Buddha-to-be

The birth of Siddhārtha, Gandhara, 2-3rd century CE.

Queen Māyā and King Suddhodhana did not have children for twenty years into their marriage. One day however, according to legend, Queen Māyā dreamt of a white elephant entering her side, and became pregnant. According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha-to-be was residing as a Bodhisattva, in the Tuṣita heaven, and decided to take the shape of a white elephant to be reborn, for the last time, on Earth. Māyā gave birth to Siddharta c. 563 BCE. The pregnancy lasted ten lunar months. Following custom, the Queen returned to her own home for the birth. On the way, she stepped down from her palanquin to have a walk in the beautiful flower garden of Lumbini Park. She was delighted by the park and she reached for a branch to take a rest. Again according to legend, at this time Prince Siddhārtha emerged from her right side and was born. It was the eighth day of April. Siddhārtha means "He who has accomplished his goals" or "The accomplished goal".

Queen Māyā died seven days after the birth of the Buddha-to-be, and went to the Trayistrimsa Heaven. Her sister Prajāpatī (Pāli: Pajāpatī or Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī) became the child's foster mother.

After Prince Siddhartha had gained perfection and became the Buddha, he visited his mother in heaven for three months to pay respects and to teach the Dharma.

Religious parallels

Some interpretations of the life story of the Buddha attribute his birth to a virgin birth. This is likely due to a specific interpretation of the prophetic dream Queen Māyā is said to have had prior to conception and is not a widely held view amongst Buddhists. As she is described to have been married to King Śuddhodhana for many years, there is no indication that she would have been a virgin at the time of Siddhārtha's conception. Nonetheless, this interpretation has lead to parallels being drawn with the birth story of Jesus.

The story of the birth of the Buddha was known in the West, and possibly influenced the story of the birth of Jesus. Saint Jerome (4th century CE) mentions the birth of the Buddha, who he says "was born from the side of a virgin". Also a fragment of Archelaos of Carrha (278 CE) mentions the Buddha's virgin-birth.

False etymologies

• The name Māyā is completely unrelated to Maria (Mary), which is a Greek form of the Hebrew name Miriam.
• Also unrelated is the Greek goddess Maia, the mother of Hermes, whose name means "mother" in Greek. The fact that the planet Mercury is called Budha in Sanskrit is a coincidence; budha means "intelligent", and reflects the traditional association of gods of learning such as Mercury, Hermes, and Nabu with the planet Mercury. Budha is a different word from Buddha in sanskrit and is spelled differently.

See also

• Gautama Buddha
• History of Buddhism
• Mahapajapati Gotami

External links

• The Life of Buddha and the Art of Narration in Buddhist Thangka Paintings