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Mātikamātā

A woman dwelling in the village of Mātikagama at the foot of a mountain in the kingdom of Kosala who attained the fruition of Non-returning and developed psychic powers of mind-reading. Her story is told in the Commentary to Dhammapada verse 35 (DhpA.i.289).

“The mind is hard to restrain, swift, it flies wherever it likes:
to control it is good. A controlled mind is conducive to happiness.” (Dhp v 35)

Hearing from some forest monks how well she attended upon their needs, a certain monk went to reside there, thinking that it would be a comfortable place to reside. However, when he had sensual thoughts he felt embarrassed to remain there and returned to Sāvatthi.

The Buddha, knowing that he would benefit from having to restrain his thoughts, sent him back to the same place. Residing there, he gained Arahantship and recollected his association with the woman in a hundred previous existences. In ninety-nine of them she had killed him, but in the hundredth existence she had spared his life. The monk then attained final cessation (parinibbāna).