his hands touched the sun and the moon; and, finally,
his body wasted away while the river of his waters
reached the land of men, and Rajagrha, putting an end
to the dry season.
Przyluski considered this story to be the expression
of a pre-Buddhist myth that belongs more to the Asia
of monsoons than to Indo-European stock. He pro-
posed the hypothesis that Gavampati was the incarna-
tion of dry winds chasing the waters away, and that his
parinirvanacould be interpreted as a bull-sacrifice that
brought the drought to an end. Some scholars have
criticized this thesis. Nevertheless, there remain textual
facts that are disconnected from any known cult in In-
dian Buddhism or in the MAHAYANAtradition and that
feature Gavampati’s strange powers over water.
Within the context of Southeastern Asian Bud-
dhism, Gavampati has become a preeminent charac-
ter because his textual dimension is enhanced by his
ritual dimension. The Sanskrit text of the Mahakarma-
vibhan ̇gastates that “The saint, Gavampati, converted
people in... the Golden Land [Suvarnabhumi],” a re-
gion identified with Lower Burma (Myanmar) or with
the central plain of Thailand. The Sasanavamsa,a
late historical chronicle, tells more specifically that
Gavampati was the first to preach the Buddha’s doc-
trine in the Mon kingdom of Thaton. Ancient Mon in-
scriptions confirm this legend, and one of them points
out that Gavampati founded S ́rKsetra, the ancient
capital city of the Pyus. Some Pagan inscriptions add
that a cult, which probably disappeared around the
fourteenth century, developed around his images. Ac-
cording to Gordon H. Luce, the limited number of
statuettes of the “Fat Monk” found at Pagan are in-
deed those of Gavampati. Such images are today in-
numerable in Thailand, where they are called Kachai,
Mahakachai, or Sangkachai when they represent the fat
monk seated in meditative fashion, and Phagawam
when they show him covering his eyes or other bodily
orifices. These images are venerated for their protec-
tive virtues and for the symbol of renunciation of the
senses they express.
Therefore, it is mostly in Thailand, but also in Laos,
Cambodia, and in the Shan states, that the Mon cult
of Gavampati has survived. Several local texts in Pali,
Thai, and Lao (such as Gavampati-sutta, Gavampa-
tinibbana,or Kaccayananibbana) tell the story of a
monk who resembled too closely the Buddha and so
was often confused with him. He therefore decided to
transform himself into a shapeless being and to take
on another name, Gavampati. This tradition was then
extended to another disciple, Mahakaccayana.See also: Disciples of the Buddha; Folk Religion,
Southeast AsiaBibliography
Lagirarde, François. “Gavampati et la tradition des quatre-
vingts disciples du Bouddha: textes et iconographie du Laos
et de Thaïlande.” Bulletin de l’Ecole Française d’Extrême-
Orient87, no. 1 (2000): 57–78.
Luce, Gordon H. Old Burma-Early Pagan.Locust Valley, NY: J.
J. Augustin, 1969.
Norman, K. R., ed. and trans. The Elders’ Verses,Vol. 1. Lon-
don: Pali Text Society, 1969.
Przyluski, Jean. Le concile de Rajagrha: Introduction à l’histoire
des canons et des sectes bouddhiques.Paris: Paul Geuthner,
1928.
Shorto, H. L. “The Gavampati Tradition in Burma.” In R.C.
Majumdar Felicitation Volume,ed. Himansu Bhusan Sarkar.
Calcutta: K. L. Mukhopadhyay, 1970.
FRANÇOISLAGIRARDEGELUK. SeeDge lugs (Geluk)GENDERBuddhist perspectives on gender are multiple, diverse,
and often contradictory, varying widely over time and
space. This entry will first focus on early or mainstream
Buddhism in India (especially as represented by the
Pali canon), and then discuss views of gender particu-
lar to MAHAYANAand TANTRA. Emphasis throughout
will be on the ideology of gender expressed through
Buddhist textual discourse rather than the actual sta-
tus of Buddhist men and women historically.Gender in early Buddhism
According to an important Buddhist cosmogonical
myth found in the Pali Agañña-sutta(Knowing the Be-
ginning), the ideal “Golden Age” that initiates each cy-
cle of world creation is characterized by ethereal
human beings who are identical, sexless, and androg-
ynous. It is only when they become greedy for food
that sexual differentiation into male and female gen-
ders occurs, quickly leading to further moral decline
in the form of passion, lust, and jealousy. Gender dis-GELUK