Vocalist Kavita Shah and composer/saxophonist Dan Blake perform the original composition “Gotami’s Gone.”
By Daniel Blake
At the core of Buddhist Global Relief’s mission is a dedication to uplifting women and girls through education and right livelihood projects. Besides being morally just, this mission is regarded by many experts as critical to solving the world’s most urgent problems, most notably climate catastrophe and poverty. Thanks to the Buddha’s transcendent vision of human beings as fundamentally equal, the doors of the Dhamma have been open to women since virtually the beginning of his teaching.
I wanted to explore the story behind this radical opening through a musical composition premiered at the recent event “Creating A More Compassionate World,” hosted by Buddhist Global Relief. Entitled “Gotami’s Gone,” the song tells the story of Mahapajapati Gotami, who was the Buddha’s maternal aunt and stepmother, and was the person who raised Prince Siddhartha from infancy following the death of his birth mother (Gotami’s sister). Gotami was also the first bhikkhuni, and the first woman to reach Nirvana. Her story represents for me an example of what Buddhist teacher and activist Thanissara calls “the sacred feminine,” a theme that connects with the deepest aspirations of Buddhist Global Relief as an exemplar of compassion in action.
“Gotami’s Gone” is based on a lyric adapted from the Apadana “Legends of the Theris.” The song was performed with consummate skill and grace by vocalist Kavita Shah and pianist Julian Shore. The title and refrain is a reference to the phrase “gone to the far shore” (paragate), which is a common reference to Nirvana found throughout Buddhist scripture.
The drama of the story centers around the moment directly preceding Gotami’s attainment of final Nirvana, when she addresses both her sangha of bhikkhunis and the Buddha himself. In switching between Gotami, her sangha, the Buddha, and an unnamed narrator, the text poses some interpretive challenges that were beautifully handled by Kavita Shah, who delivered a wonderfully clear and subtly embellished performance. In the composition’s first section, Gotami assuages her fellow bhikkhunis’ doubt as they tell her, “Nirvana’s not proper for you.” The spiritual assuredness in Gotami’s response—“this is the time for drums of joy”—is depicted through a simple and repetitive musical accompaniment, which hopefully allows the text to stand on its own.
The musical texture changes markedly in the second section of the piece, when Gotami approaches the Buddha in one of the most moving passages I have read in Buddhist scripture. In the exchange, Gotami expresses love and gratitude to the Buddha both as a stepmother and spiritual disciple, which I interpreted with more expansive and flowing musical accompaniment. Gotami begins from a point of maternal pride, telling the Buddha that “to obtain such a son is what women desiring sons desire.” One can only imagine raising a son who grew up to become the Buddha! Gotami then draws a metaphorical link between her maternal relationship to the Buddha and her spiritual devotion to the Dhamma, saying, “I gave you mother’s milk, which quenches thirst for a moment; from you I drank the milk of Truth, peaceful without interruption.” Gotami’s milk metaphor is a powerful testament to the critical importance of material nourishment as a prerequisite for spiritual attainment. Her statement also points to our shared potential as human beings to realize the fruits of the Dhamma, assuming our basic material needs can be “quenched.” As the drama of the song unfolds, it becomes clear that Gotami’s appeal to the Buddha has opened the door for a full recognition of women in the Sangha, giving her the blessing to complete her spiritual journey once and for all. As she prepares to “cross over,” the music returns to that of the opening, ushering in Gotami’s final words: “Never again will I see your face, the fountain of ambrosia.”
Gotami’s story represents for me an important reminder as to the centrality of compassion to the Dhamma path. Her compassion in offering care for Prince Siddhartha at a crucial moment set in motion events that would lead not only to her own enlightenment, but to the opening of the Dhamma to all women.
The world today is in desperate need of this kind of compassionate healing, given the countless children for whom the support offered to Prince Siddhartha is not available. Fortunately, there is so much good work being done by BGR and its partners to address this urgent and constantly unfolding human tragedy. It is to the many courageous people doing this work that “Gotami’s Gone” is dedicated.
Daniel Blake is the host of The Helping Hands Podcast, which features interviews with BGR’s partners and spiritual advisors from around the world. Dan has served on the board of directors of Buddhist Global Relief since 2015, and has practiced Vipassana meditation since 2005. A professional jazz saxophonist and composer who performs throughout the New York area and internationally, Dan Blake holds a Ph.D. in composition from the City University of New York, and currently teaches courses at the New School for Social Research.
