Khema facts for kids

Khema was a very wise Buddhist nun, also called a bhikkhuni. She was one of the two most important female students of the Buddha. Many people consider her the first of his chief female disciples, along with Uppalavanna.

Khema was born into the royal family of the ancient Madra Kingdom. She later married King Bimbisara of the ancient Indian kingdom of Magadha. Her husband helped her meet the Buddha. He even hired poets to describe the beautiful monastery where the Buddha was staying. Khema became enlightened while listening to one of the Buddha's talks. This was very special because she was not yet a nun. After this, Khema became a bhikkhuni. The Buddha said she was his female disciple with the most wisdom. Her male equal was Sariputta.

Who Were the Chief Disciples?

In Buddhist belief, every fully enlightened Buddha has special main students. For Gautama, the current Buddha, his main male students were Sariputta and Moggallana. His main female students were Khema and Uppalavanna.

Buddhist stories say that in a past life, Khema was a woman. She lived during the time of another Buddha, named Padumattara Buddha. She saw his chief male student, who was very wise. She then wished to have wisdom like his in a future life. This wish came true when she was reborn as Khema during Gautama Buddha's time.

Khema's Life Story

Early Life and Marriage

Buddhist tradition says Khema was born in the city of Sagala. Her father was the king of the Madra Kingdom. Her name, "Khema," means "security." It is sometimes used to mean Nirvana, which is a state of perfect peace.

People described Khema as incredibly beautiful. She had a glowing, golden skin tone. When she grew up, she married King Bimbisara of Magadha. She became one of his most important queens.

Meeting the Buddha

As a queen, Khema was very proud of her beauty. She loved how she looked. King Bimbisara was a strong Buddhist. He tried many times to get his wife to visit the Buddha. But Khema always said no. She knew the Buddha often spoke about how physical beauty is not lasting.

King Bimbisara knew Khema loved beautiful things. So, he hired poets. They recited poems to Khema about how beautiful the monastery was where the Buddha stayed. This made Khema curious. She decided to visit the monastery. King Bimbisara even told her guards to make sure she met the Buddha.

As Khema walked through the monastery, the Buddha knew what she was thinking. He used his special powers. He made an image of a woman appear. This woman was even more beautiful than Khema. The woman was fanning the Buddha. Khema was surprised. She thought she was wrong about the Buddha not liking beauty.

While Khema stared at the beautiful woman, the Buddha made the image change. She saw the woman grow old and then die right before her eyes. Seeing this, Khema realized she would also grow old and die. The Buddha then taught her about how beauty does not last forever. As she listened, she reached a level of enlightenment called stream-entry. The Buddha kept teaching her about letting go of worldly desires. She then reached full enlightenment, becoming an arahant. After this, she joined the Buddha's group of nuns and became a bhikkhuni. It is rare for someone to become enlightened before becoming a nun, but Khema did.

A Chief Disciple

After becoming a bhikkhuni, Khema became known for her great wisdom. In a Buddhist text called the Khema Sutta, she taught King Pasenadi. The king asked if the Buddha existed after death. Khema explained that the Buddha is too deep to understand in simple terms. She said it's impossible to say if he exists or doesn't exist after death. King Pasenadi later asked the Buddha the same question. He was amazed when the Buddha answered in the exact same way Khema did.

Khema also taught her friend Vijayā. Vijayā then became a nun and soon became an arahant too. Khema is also mentioned in many jataka tales. These are stories about the Buddha's past lives. In these tales, Khema's past lives are often shown as kind and wise. In one story, she was even the wife of the bodhisattva (the future Buddha). This is a special role in jataka tales, usually only for Yasodhara.

The Buddha said Khema was the female disciple with the most wisdom. He also praised her teaching and leadership skills. He said that Khema and Uppalavanna were his chief female disciples. He told other nuns to look up to them. Uppalavanna and Khema shared the title of chief disciples with their male equals, Maha Moggallana and Sariputta.

Khema's Importance

Khema is seen as a very successful student of the Buddha. She held the same important position among the nuns as Sariputta did among the monks. Some scholars note that Khema became spiritually more advanced than her husband, King Bimbisara. He only reached the level of stream-entry.

According to one scholar, Khema's quick path to becoming an arahant was not by chance. It was because she had built up a lot of good merit over many past lives. This is described in the jatakas. Another scholar points out that the Buddha's two pairs of chief disciples had one dark-skinned person and one light-skinned person. This includes Maha Moggallana (dark) and Uppalavanna (dark), and Sariputta (light) and Khema (light). This pairing might show that the Buddha's teachings are for everyone, no matter their skin color or social class.

Some experts say that Khema's conversation with King Pasenadi in the Khema Sutta shows how much she was respected. At that time, female nuns usually did not teach male monks. But Khema did. King Pasenadi's servant even spoke about how wise Khema was. The king himself showed respect to Khema, recognizing her great wisdom. This shows that women could reach the same high level of spiritual growth as men.