Lzh Dg Bi Pm Pc 17Throwing Out a Monastic

SUTRA NIKKAḌḌHANA: EXPELLING A MONASTIC FROM THE MONASTERY

Background

The Nikkaḍḍhana Sutra, “Expelling a Monastic from the Monastery,” belongs to the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha, the code of precepts for women who have gone forth in the Pāli Vinaya tradition. This text reflects regulations concerning communal discipline and the mechanisms that protect the purity of the Sangha.

In the early period of Buddhism, when the Buddha was still living, rules of practice were established to maintain the clarity and integrity of the renunciant community. Nikkaḍḍhana is one of the final disciplinary penalties for bhikkhunīs who commit grave violations. The word “nikkaḍḍhana” means “expulsion” or “compelling one to leave,” a penalty that results in separation from the monastic community.

This sutra is not a sermon describing the path, but a legal regulation, an instrument for harmonizing collective conduct in order to protect the fourfold Buddhist assembly, monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen, and to maintain the moral cleanliness of the Sangha.

Main Content

According to the Pāli Canon tradition, the penalty of Nikkaḍḍhana is applied to bhikkhunīs who violate the Pārājika Dhammas, the rules of defeat, offenses that cannot be remedied. These violations include sexual intercourse, theft, killing a human being, or falsely claiming superhuman attainments that one does not actually possess.

This penalty is carried out through a formal meeting (saṅghakamma) of the bhikkhunī community. The procedure includes a formal motion (ñatti), followed by three proclamations to ensure the consent of the Sangha. Once the decision has been passed, the person expelled is no longer permitted to remain in the monastery, use communal property, or participate in collective religious activities.

The Nikkaḍḍhana Sutra emphasizes that this penalty is not personal punishment, but a measure to protect the Sangha.