Lzh Dg Bi Pm Pc 152Getting Nuns to Massage

Exposition of the Bhikkhunī-ummaddāpana Sutta

Background

This sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, especially in the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha, the code of life for women monastics. It is not a sutta in which the Buddha teaches practitioners the Dharma in general, but an additional disciplinary rule agreed upon by the Sangha, the community of bhikkhunīs, to protect the principle of pure intention.

In the historical context of Theravāda Buddhism, the Buddha established the bhikkhunī Sangha after Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī and a group of other women aspired to go forth. However, the Buddha also established the eight garudhammas in order to maintain purity and respect between the communities of monks and nuns. The Bhikkhunī-ummaddāpana Sutta is a specific regulation within this legal structure.

Main Content

The term "Ummaddāpana" derives from "ummaddati," meaning to rub, stroke, or massage. This sutta concerns a rule about bodily contact between bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs in the context of health care.

The specific content of this sutta has not been fully translated in the available materials; however, according to the general context of the Vinaya, the rule aims to guide situations in which a nun needs medical assistance or bodily care from bhikkhus or other bhikkhunīs. Theravāda Buddhist law is very careful regarding bodily contact, especially between male and female monastics, in order to avoid misunderstandings, loss of public faith, and to protect absolutely the meditative composure (samādhi) of monastics.

This rule reflects a core principle of the Vinaya: physical action must be carried out with pure intention (cetanā), without lust, without hatred, and solely for legitimate purposes of healing or care. If the massage or rubbing is performed with impure intention or exceeds the prescribed boundaries, it violates the disciplinary rules.