Ka Bu Pm Pc 28Travelling on a Boat With a Nun
Pāli / Sanskrit:Nāvābhiruhana
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
The Nāvābhiruhana Discourse: Boarding a Boat With a Bhikkhunī
Background
The Nāvābhiruhana discourse (nāva = boat; abhiruhana = boarding, climbing on) is a dhamma-vinaya, a discipline of Dharma practice, belonging to the Pācittiya class, the minor rules in the Vinaya Piṭaka. This is a regulation concerning conduct between bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs in the life of practice, established by the Buddha to protect the discipline of monks and nuns and to maintain the trust of the people.
According to the Theravāda tradition, regulations concerning contact or shared activities between bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs are carefully considered. This context reflects the social background of the Buddha’s time, when journeys on foot or by boat were frequent. This discourse teaches that, even in necessary situations, a bhikkhu must observe rules of conduct in order to avoid causing suspicion or disturbing his own concentration and that of others.
Main Content
The Nāvābhiruhana discourse states that a bhikkhu should not on his own board a boat together with a bhikkhunī, unless there is a legitimate reason, such as warning of danger or necessity. If a bhikkhu must board a boat together with a bhikkhunī, he must maintain alertness (sampajañña) and observe the spirit of the Khaggavisāṇa Sutta, solitary like the rhinoceros horn, that is, living independently and not allowing unnecessary attachment to arise.
This regulation is not based on any negative assumption about human nature, but because the Buddha clearly understood that the human mind can be distracted by various conditions. When living in close proximity or in unusual situations, practitioners can easily allow the seeds of greed, hatred, and delusion to drift loose. Therefore, observing such rules is not suspicion, but a wise practice to protect the Dharma (dhamma) and the mind.
The discourse teaches that if a bhikkhu violates this without necessary reason, he must perform pācittiya, additional training to correct the action. These are steps of correction, expressing the sincerity of the Sangha in self-respect and self-discipline.
Practical Meaning
The practical meaning of this discourse extends beyond its historical context.
🌏 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.