Lzh Mg Bi Pm Pc 121Sitting in Private
Pāli / Sanskrit:Rahonisajja
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Commentary on the Rahonisajja Sutta (Sitting in Private)
Background
The Rahonisajja Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, within the Pātimokkha Samvara (the training rules of the bhikkhu), forming part of the disciplinary system of Theravāda Buddhism. This text is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka in order to provide specific guidance to bhikkhus concerning conduct related to privacy.
The circumstances that gave rise to this text originate from particular situations within the Saṅgha. The Buddha formulated these rules of discipline not out of arbitrariness, but through teaching and the prevention of actions harmful to pure spiritual practice. The Rahonisajja Sutta addresses the matter of a bhikkhu sitting privately with a bhikkhunī in the absence of a witness — a situation carrying the inherent risk of giving rise to suspicion, slander, or a breach of integrity in the religious life.
Main Content
Rahonisajja (raho = privately, nisajja = sitting) stipulates that a bhikkhu is not to sit privately with a bhikkhunī in a place where there is no witness. This is one of the Pācittiya offenses — transgressions that require confession and the performance of service to the Saṅgha as a means of purification.
This rule is not intended to cast doubt upon the character of the bhikkhus, but rather serves as a protective measure for the Saṅgha itself against outward suspicion. When a bhikkhu and a bhikkhunī sit together privately, the absence of a witness creates conditions for rumor, even when the actual conduct is entirely pure. Such rumor causes harm to the reputation of both monastics and likewise undermines the faith of laypeople in the Saṅgha.
Thus, the Rahonisajja Sutta instructs: a bhikkhu, even one of good intention, ought to avoid situations that may lead to misunderstanding. Should it be necessary to speak with a bhikkhunī, at least one other person should be present — ordinarily a second bhikkhu or bhikkhunī — to serve as witness and to prevent any form of suspicion from arising.
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