Sister Uppalavannā (Else Buchholtz) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

violinist who converted to

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

, becoming the first European

Buddhist nun Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

since the time of

Greco-Buddhism Greco-Buddhism, or Graeco-Buddhism, is the cultural syncretism between Hellenistic culture and Buddhism, which developed between the fourth century BC and the fifth century AD in Gandhara, in present-day north-western Pakistan and parts of nort ...

. She lived as an

ascetic Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

from 1926 until her death.

Early life

Else Buchholtz was born in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

in 1886. Both her parents died in a Cholera epidemic soon after.''The Inspiring and Remarkable Life story of Sister Uppalavannaa the German Buddhist Nun (1886–1982) who was Ordained in Sri Lanka'', Sir Lalita Rajapakse Charitable trust (n.d) https://web.archive.org/web/20150415123704/http://metta.lk/english/sister-uppalavanna.html Adopted by wealthy foster parents, she was brought up in the Tiergarten quarter of Berlin. She led a carefree life, with all the comforts of German high society, and music, singing, dancing and horseback riding were an important part of her upbringing. She was proficient in the violin and possessed a trained musical voice. In 1912, her foster parents also died and she inherited a considerable fortune from them. She moved to

Odenwald The Odenwald () is a low mountain range in the German states of Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Location The Odenwald is located between the Upper Rhine Plain with the Bergstraße and the ''Hessisches Ried'' (the northeastern section ...

, in the

Schwarzwald The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...

. Here she found many poor and needy people, whom she helped financially. The loss of her parents and foster parents caused her to question the concept of the All Merciful God. She immersed herself in philosophical works and became interested in the philosophy of Buddhism. Amidst the chaos and destruction of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

she taught herself Meditation. In 1919, she gave shelter at her home to two German Buddhist monks, Ven

Nyanatiloka Ven. Nyanatiloka Mahathera (19 February 1878, Wiesbaden, Germany – 28 May 1957, Colombo, Ceylon), born as Anton Walther Florus Gueth, was one of the earliest Westerners in modern times to become a Bhikkhu, a fully ordained Buddhist monk. Ea ...

(the first non-British European to become a Buddhist monk) and Ven Vappa. The former, before his ordination, had been a violinist. Their common musical background helped bring about her conversion to Buddhism.Tessa J. Bartholomeusz, ''Women under the Bo Tree'', Cambridge University Press, 1994; , Buchholtz determined to go to Sri Lanka to renounce worldly desires, since she felt that the country's Buddhism represented the original teachings of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

. In 1920, she paid for the passage of the two monks and herself to the island. However, the country was still a

British colony The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Bri ...

and the three were denied entry as

enemy alien In customary international law, an enemy alien is any native, citizen, denizen or subject of any foreign nation or government with which a domestic nation or government is in conflict and who is liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured and ...

s. They therefore decided to go to Japan. Here Buchholtz studied

Mahayana Buddhism ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bra ...

for five years. In 1926, she went once again to Sri Lanka and was this time allowed to enter. She was befriended by Marie Musaeus Higgins, a German Educationalist and founder of

Musaeus College Musaeus, Musaios ( grc, Μουσαῖος) or Musäus may refer to: Greek poets * Musaeus of Athens, legendary polymath, considered by the Greeks to be one of their earliest poets (mentioned by Socrates in Plato's Apology) * Musaeus of Ephesus, liv ...

a school for Buddhist girls, who gave her help and encouragement. On 20 May 1926 Buchholtz was ordained a Buddhist nun beside the

Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi ( Sinhala: ජය ශ්‍රී මහා බොධිය) is a historical sacred bo tree (''Ficus religiosa'') in the Mahamewna Garden in historical city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. This is believed to be a tree grown f ...

(the tree that grew from a sapling of the Bo Tree under which the Buddha attained Enlightenment) at Anuradhapura, probably by Ven. Nyanatiloka. It may have been her beautiful blue eyes which inspired her teacher to name her after

Uppalavanna Uppalavanna (Pali: Uppalavaṇṇā; Sanskrit: Utpalavarṇā) was a Buddhist ''bhikkhuni'' (Pali; Sanskrit: Bhikshuni), or nun, who was considered one of the top female disciples of the Buddha. She is considered the second of the Buddha's two ...

("blue lotus").

Life as a nun

At first Sister Uppalavanna lived in a small thatched hut close to the Vajirarama monastery in Colombo and later in Weligama.Her situation in the early 1930s describes a German visitor in: Mangelsdorf, Walter; ''Erlebnis Indien''; Braunschweig 1950, p. 22-29; reprint OI 10.1007/978-3-663-02421-7. After this she moved to a simple hermitage above the town of

Gampola Gampola ( si, ගම්පොල, ta, கம்பளை) is a town located in Kandy District, Central Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. Gampola was made the capital of the island by King Buwanekabahu IV, who ruled for four yea ...

, in the cooler hill country. In 1938 she was invited by the Lay Committee of the Vihara Maha Devi Upasikaramaya nunnery to be chief nun. However she declined, preferring her 'little hut of palm-leaf matting' to the 'lax life of the ordinary nun's cloister'. A group of admiring and devoted benefactors, prominent amongst whom were Mrs. H.M. Gunasekera, Mrs. Nalin Moonesinghe, Lady A.M. de Silva, Mr. William Samarasinghe, Mr.

H. W. Amarasuriya Henry Woodward Amarasuriya (14 October 1904 – 6 March 1981) was a Ceylonese plantation owner, politician, educationist and philanthropist. He was the Cabinet Minister for Trade and Commerce in the cabinet of D. S. Senanayake. A former member ...

and Sir Lalita Rajapakse saw to her meagre needs. During the early 1950s she spent the 'vas' or rainy seasons at the Watawala Estate bungalow with Anil and Jeanne Moonesinghe. Sister Uppalavanna kept strictly to the Buddhist discipline (''vinaya''), observing all ten of the

Buddhist precepts Buddhist ethics are traditionally based on what Buddhists view as the enlightened perspective of the Buddha. The term for ethics or morality used in Buddhism is ''Śīla'' or ''sīla'' (Pāli). ''Śīla'' in Buddhism is one of three sections of ...

, (unlike most nuns, who observe only eight) in addition to the 311 rules for ordained nuns. She would cease eating lunch at midday precisely and would accept no food after that hour. Mr Gilbert, a

Kandy Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...

businessman converted a rock cave called Manapadassana-lena (Cave of Pleasant View) into a habitable dwelling, which was to be her final hermitage, to reach which she had to climb 98 steps. On being informed through German diplomatic sources that she was left with a fabulous fortune in her native land, she replied 'Please do not trouble me with such information. I have no desire for anything worldly, I am striving for emancipation from greed, hatred and delusion.' When she was 94, in failing health, she was persuaded to move to the Mallika Home for the Aged, an institution established by Mallika Hewavitharana (wife of Don Carolis Hewavitharana). She died there, peacefully, two years later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uppalavanna, Sister 1886 births Buddhist nuns Converts to Buddhism German Theravada Buddhists 1982 deaths German emigrants to Sri Lanka German Buddhists Sri Lankan Buddhists 20th-century Buddhist nuns