Lzh Dg Bu Pm Pc 28Travelling on a Boat With a Nun
Pāli / Sanskrit:Nāvābhiruhana
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THE NĀVĀBHIRUHANA SUTTA: TRAVELING BY BOAT WITH A BHIKKHUNĪ
Background
The Nāvābhiruhana Sutta (Traveling by boat with a female bhikkhu) is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha, in the section concerning disciplinary regulations for monastics and bhikkhunīs. This is one of the most detailed regulations of the human Sangha organization, reflecting the Buddha’s wise consideration of situations that may arise in the collective life of practice.
According to the Pāli Canon tradition, this rule was established to protect the purity of the Sangha body and maintain the confidence of the Buddhist community. It reflects the circumstances of bhikkhus who had to cross rivers, where the dwellings of bhikkhunīs differed from those of bhikkhus in regions divided by waterways.
Main Content
The discourse states that a bhikkhu should not on his own travel by boat together with a bhikkhunī, especially privately on a small boat or under conditions that create an opportunity for the two to be alone. This regulation is not an absolute restraint, but a carefulness regarding conditions that may deeply disturb mental formations (cittasaṅkhāra), or give rise to suspicion among laypeople.
If it is necessary to travel by boat with a bhikkhunī, there must be witnesses or public conditions. This regulation also has exceptions: in urgent cases such as medical treatment, rescue, or situations made unavoidable by natural circumstances, a bhikkhu does not commit an offense if he must travel by boat with a bhikkhunī.
It is noteworthy that the Dharma does not completely prohibit interaction between male and female monastics. Instead, it establishes strict conditions to ensure dignity, transparency, and the avoidance of forms of activity that may cause suspicion or slander.
Practical Meaning
The Nāvābhiruhana Sutta teaches us a profound lesson about carefulness (appamāda) and communal responsibility. These are not narrow regulations, but protective boundaries for virtue (sīla) and public trust.
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