Grammatical Analysis
Upāsikā: [f.] Female lay follower; female devotee. Feminine form of upāsaka.
Orthodox Definition
An Upāsikā is a female lay follower who has taken refuge in the Triple Gem and observes the Five Precepts.
Historically, upāsikās played an overwhelmingly critical role in the survival and expansion of the early Buddhist community. The most famous was Visākhā (Migāramātā), the chief patroness of the Saṅgha, who built the Pubbārāma monastery and constantly supplied the monks and nuns with food, medicine, and bathing cloths. Another prominent upāsikā was Khujjuttarā, a servant woman who memorized the Buddha’s discourses and taught them to 500 women in the palace, essentially preserving the Itivuttaka.
Like male lay followers, upāsikās are capable of attaining deep stages of awakening.
Textual References
- Sutta: Visākhā Sutta (AN 8.43) – The Buddha teaching Visākhā how a female disciple attains victory in both this world and the heavenly worlds.
- Canonical: Aṅguttara Nikāya (Etadaggavagga) – The Buddha listing the foremost upāsikās in various categories of excellence (generosity, wisdom, loving-kindness).
- Commentary: Manorathapūraṇī – The background stories of the great female patrons and their massive karmic merit.