Sunita
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For the astronaut, see Sunita Williams.
- for the singer see Sinitta
Sunita was a highly accomplished disciple of the Buddha. He was born in a very poor family who had next to no food and was an outcast whose job was to gather flowers from shrines and throw them away:
- People found me disgusting,
- despised me, disparaged me.
- Lowering my heart,
- I showed reverence to many.
Sunita was eventually ordained by Buddha himself:
- The compassionate Teacher,
- sympathetic to all the world, said:
- "Come, monk."
- That was my formal Acceptance.
Sunita practiced night and day Buddha's instructions and became a full Arahant which is the highest saint category, he was granted this status by Brahma and Indra themselves who bowed down to this saint:
- Then, as night was ending
- & the sun returning,
- Indra & Brahma came to pay homage to me,
- hands palm-to-palm at their hearts:
- "Homage to you, O thoroughbred of men,
- Homage to you, O man supreme,
- whose fermentations are ended.
- You, dear sir, are worthy of offerings."
[edit] References
Excerpts are from the Theragatha XII.2 Sunita.
