Lzh Mg Bi Pm Pc 127Getting Nuns to Massage
Pāli / Sanskrit:Bhikkhunī-ummaddāpana
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Explanation of Bhikkhunī-ummaddāpana
The Rule Concerning Getting Bhikkhunīs to Massage
Background
Bhikkhunī-ummaddāpana is a prohibition within the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha (the code of discipline for nuns), recorded in the Pāli Vinaya tradition. This rule arose from specific incidents that occurred within the community of nuns during the time of Śākyamuni Buddha, when certain bhikkhunīs were asked or employed to give massages to other members of the monastic community.
The historical context indicates that at that time, massage was a common medical skill practiced within monasteries, serving the health of the monastic community. However, the Blessed One observed that this activity was gradually becoming a habit that distracted from spiritual practice, causing bhikkhunīs to deviate from their primary aim of cultivation, and potentially giving rise to improper situations between communities of nuns and monks.
Main Content
This prohibition stipulates that bhikkhunīs may not order or request another bhikkhunī to perform massage (ummaddāpana). If a bhikkhunī actively performs this service for other bhikkhunīs without a genuine medical reason, or if she summons another bhikkhunī to carry out this task, such an action constitutes a Pācittiya offense—a prohibition whose prescribed penalty is confession before the Sangha (the monastic community).
This rule was established to protect the integrity of nuns, preventing them from being exploited or reduced to a role of service rather than that of practitioners of the Way. At the same time, this rule also aims to prevent situations in which the hands and bodies of nuns come into frequent physical contact with others, thereby potentially giving rise to attachment or unwholesome emotional bonds.
The Pāli Tipiṭaka emphasizes that these prohibitions are not arbitrary or harsh restrictions, but rather practical guidelines designed to maintain order, diligence, and collectedness of mind, restraining worldly needs from encroaching upon monastic life.
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