Ananda Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Venerable, the Elder (Thera) Ānanda
Part of limestone sculpture, northern Xiangtangshan Caves, 550–77 CE
Religion	Buddhism
Known for	Being an attendant of the Buddha (aggupaṭṭhāyaka); powers of memory; compassion to women
Other names	Videhamuni; Dhamma-bhaṇḍāgārika ('Treasurer of the Dhamma')
Personal
Born	5th–4th century BCE Kapilavatthu
Died	20 years after the Buddha's death On the river Rohīni near Vesālī, or the Ganges
Parents	King Śuklodana or King Amitodana; Queen Mrgī (Sanskrit traditions)
Senior posting
Title	Patriarch of the Dharma (Sanskrit traditions)
Consecration	Mahākassapa
Predecessor	Mahākassapa
Successor	Majjhantika or Sāṇavāsī
Religious career
Teacher	The Buddha; Puṇṇa Māntāniputta
Students	Majjhantika; Sāṇavāsī, etc.
Initiation	20th (Mūlasarvāstivāda) or 2nd (other traditions) year of the Buddha's ministry Nigrodhārāma or Anupiya, Malla by Daśabāla Kāśyapa or Belaṭṭhasīsa

Ānanda (5th - 4th century BCE) was the primary attendant of the Buddha and one of his ten principal disciples. Among the Buddha's many disciples, Ānanda stood out for having the best memory. Most of the texts of the early Buddhist Sutta-Piṭaka (Pāli; are attributed to his recollection of the Buddha's teachings during the First Buddhist Council. For that reason, he is known as the Treasurer of the Dhamma, with Dhamma (Sanskrit: Dharma) referring to the Buddha's teaching. In Early Buddhist Texts, Ānanda was the first cousin of the Buddha. Although the early texts do not agree on many parts of Ānanda's early life, they do agree that Ānanda was ordained as a monk and that Puṇṇa Mantāniputta became his teacher. Twenty years in the Buddha's ministry, Ānanda became the attendant of the Buddha, when the Buddha selected him for this task. Ānanda performed his duties with great devotion and care, and acted as an intermediary between the Buddha and the laypeople, as well as the saṅgha. He accompanied the Buddha for the rest of his life, acting not only as an assistant, but also a secretary and a mouthpiece.

Scholars are skeptical about the historicity of many events in Ānanda's life, especially the First Council, and consensus about this has yet to be established. A traditional account can be drawn from early texts, commentaries, and post-canonical chronicles. Ānanda had an important role in establishing the order of bhikkhunīs, when he requested the Buddha on behalf of the latter's foster-mother Mahāpajāpati Gotamī to allow her to be ordained. Ānanda also accompanied the Buddha in the last year of his life, and therefore was witness to many tenets and principles that the Buddha conveyed before his death, including the well-known principle that the Buddhist community should take his teaching and discipline as their refuge, and that he would not appoint a new leader. The final period of the Buddha's life also shows that Ānanda was very much attached to the Buddha's person, and he saw the Buddha's passing with great sorrow.

Shortly after the Buddha's death, the First Council was convened, and Ānanda managed to attain enlightenment just before the council started, which was a requirement. He had a historical role during the council as the living memory of the Buddha, reciting many of the Buddha's discourses and checking them for accuracy. During the same council, however, he was chastised by Mahākassapa and the rest of the saṅgha for allowing women to be ordained and failing to understand or respect the Buddha at several crucial moments. Ānanda continued to teach until the end of his life, passing on his spiritual heritage to his pupils Sāṇavāsī (Sanskrit: Śāṇakavāsī) and Majjhantika, among others, who later assumed leading roles in the Second and Third Councils. Ānanda died 20 years after the Buddha, and stūpas (monuments) were erected at the river where he died.

Ānanda was one of the most loved figures in Buddhism. He was known for his memory, erudition and compassion, and was often praised by the Buddha for these matters. He functioned as a foil to the Buddha, however, in that he still had worldly attachments and was not yet enlightened, as opposed to the Buddha. In the Sanskrit textual traditions, Ānanda is considered the patriarch of the Dhamma, who stood in a spiritual lineage, receiving the teaching from Mahākassapa and passing them on to his own pupils. Ānanda has been honored by bhikkhunīs since early medieval times for his merits in establishing the nun's order. In recent times, the composer Richard Wagner and Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore were inspired by stories about Ānanda in their work.

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The word ānanda means 'bliss, joy' in Pāli and in Sanskrit. Pāli commentaries explain that when Ānanda was born, his relatives were joyous about this. Texts from the Mūlasarvāstivāda tradition, however, state that since Ānanda was born on the day of the Buddha's enlightenment, there was great rejoicing in the city—hence the name.

Images for kids

Map of India, c. 500 BCE
18th-century Burmese sculpture of Ānanda
Sculpture of Ānanda from Wat Khao Rup Chang, Songkhla, Thailand
8th-century Chinese limestone sculpture of Ānanda
East Javanese relief depicting the Buddha in his final days, and Ānanda
According to Buddhist texts, the First Buddhist Council was held in Rājagaha.
Jetavana temple in Rājagṛiha, India. Wall painting depicting the First Buddhist Council, during which Ānanda is said to have pronounced the formula:"evaṃ me sutaṃ" (Thus have I heard.) as an introduction to each of the Buddha's discourses that he recited from memory.
East Javanese relief of Ānanda, depicted weeping
Partially recovered Indian bas-relief depicting the death of Ānanda. The traditional Buddhist accounts relate that he attained final Nirvana in mid-air above the river Rohīni, leaving relics for followers on both sides of the river.
In Mahāyāna iconography, Ānanda is often depicted flanking the Buddha at the right side, together with Mahākassapa at the left.
8th–9th century Chinese painting, depicting two monks dressed in robes made of pieces. Pāli tradition has it that Ānanda designed the Buddhist monk's robe, based on the structure of rice fields.

Ananda facts for kids

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