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Kumāra Kassapa

A Dictionary of Buddhism | 2004 | 506 words | Copyright

Kumāra Kassapa. An elder (thera), famous for his eloquent preaching. His mother became a nun unaware that she was pregnant with him. He received the lower ordination (pravrajya) as a young boy and was dubbed ‘the boy’ (kumāra) Kassapa as a result. At the age of 20 he was given the higher ordination (upasampadā), and when it was pointed out that the rules require a minimum age of 21, the Buddha allowed the time spent in the mother's womb to be included in the reckoning.

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