Lzh Mg Bi Pm Pc 16Throwing Out a Monastic
Pāli / Sanskrit:Nikkaḍḍhana
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Commentary on the Nikkaḍḍhana Sutta (Expulsion of a Bhikkhu)
Background
The Nikkaḍḍhana Sutta (nikkaḍḍhana, from nik + kaḍḍhana, meaning "expulsion" or "driving out") is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically within the Pātimokkha — the collection of fundamental precepts that bhikkhus are required to observe. This text is attested from a historical event within the early monastic community, when the Buddha and his disciples confronted issues of discipline and communal governance.
The circumstances giving rise to this text concern cases in which bhikkhus committed grave violations of the rules, to the extent that they had to be expelled from the monastic community. The Vinaya Piṭaka was established gradually throughout the course of the Buddha's teaching ministry; each time a transgression occurred, he would lay down the appropriate rule in order to protect the spirit of practice and the purity of the Sangha.
Principal Content
The Nikkaḍḍhana Sutta addresses the manner in which, and the grounds upon which, a bhikkhu may be expelled from the Sangha. Within the Theravāda Vinaya, certain actions render a bhikkhu fundamentally barred (asamayika) from the community — that is, he is no longer able to continue living the life of a bhikkhu.
The principal grounds include violations belonging to the "Four Pārājika" — the four defeats — namely: engaging in sexual intercourse, theft, killing, or falsely claiming superhuman attainments or healing powers in order to enhance one's reputation. In addition, there are other violations within the Saṅghādisesa rules — those requiring a formal act of the Sangha — which, if a bhikkhu obstinately refuses to amend, may likewise lead to expulsion.
The process of expulsion is carried out formally through a resolution of the Sangha (Saṅgha-kamma). A bhikkhu who has been expelled is not permitted to remain within the monastic community, is not to receive reverence from laypeople, and in terms of the Vinaya, is no longer a formal member of the religious order.
Practical Significance
The Nikkaḍḍhana Sutta is not intended to cause suffering, but to safeguard the purity of the path of practice and of the Dharma.
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