Lzh Dg Bu Pm Pc 17Throwing Out a Monastic
Pāli / Sanskrit:Nikkaḍḍhana
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Explanation of the Nikkaḍḍhana Sutta (Expelling a Bhikkhu)
Background
The Nikkaḍḍhana Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, reflecting the rules for managing the Sangha community. The Vinaya Piṭaka was compiled to maintain discipline and harmony in the Sangha, especially after Buddhism developed and the number of monastics increased. This sutta addresses a practical issue: how to act when a monastic seriously violates the rules, cannot be reformed, and needs to be removed from the community.
Nikkaḍḍhana means "expulsion" or "deprivation of status." This is a final disciplinary measure, carried out when a monastic has exceeded opportunities for correction, refuses to follow the Buddha's teaching, and has a harmful influence on the Sangha body. The sutta relates to the Pātimokkha, the basic code for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs.
Main Content
The Nikkaḍḍhana Sutta stipulates the conditions and procedures for expelling a monastic from the Sangha. According to the teaching, expulsion is performed only for those who commit the most serious offenses, usually related to three kinds: violations of the Pātimokkha that cannot be corrected, conduct that destroys the Sangha, or people who intentionally refuse to accept the discipline of the Sangha body.
The process of expulsion is not carried out arbitrarily. The Sangha must meet in full, clearly announce the person's faults, and give him the opportunity to acknowledge the fault and correct himself. If that person still refuses or continues wrong conduct, the Sangha body will make the decision of expulsion through a voting process. After being expelled, that person is no longer considered a member of the Sangha and may not enjoy the benefits of a monastic.
It is important that this sutta does not require harshness or humiliation. Expulsion is a measure to protect the Sangha body from harmful influences, aimed at maintaining the purity and harmony of the community of practice.
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