Lzh Dg Bu Pm Pc 9Teaching Someone of the Opposite Gender Alone
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dhammadesanā
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Sutra on Teaching the Dharma Alone to Someone of the Opposite Gender
Background
This sutra is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, especially in the Pātimokkha, the fundamental precepts, where the Buddha established rules of conduct for the community of monks and nuns to protect purity and maintain the honor of the Sangha. The background arises when bhikkhus or bhikkhunīs need to teach the Dharma to people of the opposite gender, a common situation in missionary work and in guiding those who turn toward the teaching.
Teaching the Dharma (Dhammadesanā) is one of the noblest activities in the Buddhist community. However, interactions between men and women need to be managed carefully to avoid vulnerabilities that may cause misunderstanding or damage the faith of beings. Therefore, the Buddha issued specific guidance to ensure that Dharma teaching is carried out properly and purely.
Main Content
The sutra states that when a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī needs to teach the Dharma to a person of the opposite gender, this should not be done in private or enclosed spaces. The basic principle is that a third person should be present, or at least that the Dharma be taught in an open, public place where others may appear.
The reason for this rule is not that the Dharma itself is dark or improper. Indeed, the Buddha’s Dharma is pure and noble. What is important, however, is to protect the image, honor, and trustworthiness of practitioners. When teaching the Dharma alone to someone of the opposite gender in a closed space, even if nothing occurs, others may still become suspicious, object, or speak ill. This is called avoiding grounds for anxiety (alaṁ kukkuccāya), that is, avoiding things that can give rise to unnecessary doubt.
The guidelines in the Vinaya Piṭaka emphasize that monks and nuns must practice “purity in deed,” but must also practice “purity in appearance.”
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.