Editing Hariti (section)

==Theravada==
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Reliëf op de Candi Mendut TMnr 20026894.jpg|thumb|right|The bas-relief of Hariti with her children on inner northern wall of [[Mendut]], 9th century]]
According to a Thai-Burmese [[Theravada|Thervada]] oral story popular in Southeast Asia, Abhiriti or Hariti was a [[Yaksha|yakshini]] born in the [[Buddhasasana]] of Buddha [[Vessabhū|Vesabhu]]. She is considered to be a daughter of Mother Dhamma. Once in a city of the human realm, a helpless Yaksha infant was hungry and crying. None of the humans was willing to console him because of his brutal appearance. The innocent demon prayed to Mother Dhamma. Mother Dhamma looked at him with infinite compassion or mercy. From that compassion, Hariti was born. She came to the human realm and fed the hungry demon infant from her lactating breasts. When he was satisfied and stopped crying, Hariti took the child to the guardians of the Yaksha realm. Kubera, the king of Yakshas, was very impressed with Hariti. He proposed marriage to her, and with the permission of [[Prajñāpāramitā Devi|Mother Dharma]], she became the mother of all asuras/demons.  

There are hundreds of stories about the dedication of Hariti to her devotees and response to their prayers. Once, the human realm experienced extreme drought and dying crops. Buddhist monks advised the people to ask Hariti to help them. Humans and yakshas alike started praying to Yaksha king [[Kubera]] and Mother Hariti. With the help of Hariti and her divine powers of compassion, rain fell, greenery was returned and the earth realm was blessed with prosperity. Hariti created a divine jar to provide infinite prosperity  to the human realm. 

Yakshas usually live longer than humans, perhaps even for many [[kalpa]] (eons or ages). Hariti is considered as the possessor of mysterious wealth. She is steadfast in [[Sila (Buddhism)|ethics]], [[Samadhi|mindfulness]], and [[Prajñā (Buddhism)|wisdom]]. 

Once, Hariti was dwelling in the city of Rajgir where [[Buddha Shakyamuni]] was staying. At that time, she had no children. Wanting to experience motherhood, she started taking unhappy human babies from Rajgir into her abode. The babies' mothers in Rajgir pleaded to the Buddha. Buddha went to Hariti's abode and brought one of the kidnapped children (though beloved by Hariti) with him to his vihara in Rajgir. Hariti was devastated when she found the child was gone.  

After futilely searching for the little one she loved, Hariti appealed to the Buddha. The Buddha asked Hariti to consider how deeply she was suffering in the absence of one child, and similarly, many of other mothers and families were still suffering from the loss of their beloved children, kidnapped by Hariti or otherwise disappeared in this world of suffering. Hariti realized and acknowledged that their suffering was greater than hers. She returned all the kidnapped babies to their mothers and became steadfast in the Dhamma. The Buddha taught Hariti dhamma practices that could be associated with the upbringing of a child. Hariti started practicing universal [[Metta Sutta|metta]] (loving kindness) and [[compassion|karuna]] (compassion) to all beings. Hariti declared that she was no longer a yaksha with no children, but now the mother of all beings. Hariti promised the Buddha that she would protect and love children of all realms, human and non-human. Hariti practices and teaches the four [[Brahmavihara|Brahma viharas]] to all worldly beings, for benefits of all her human and non-human children. Buddha hailed Hariti as the [[Jaganmata|Jagatmata]] or the Mother of All Realms. In some schools of Theravada Buddhism, she is the Supreme Mother of all humans and non-humans, who eliminates or destroys obstacles to the practice of [[dhamma]].