Lzh Mg Bi Pm Pc 32Lying Down With One Not Fully Ordained

The Discourse on Lying Down Together with One Not Fully Ordained (Anupasampannasahaseyya)

Background

This text belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon of Theravāda, the most sacred division of the Tripiṭaka of the original Buddha-Dharma. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not a collection of dry prohibitions, but rather a system of rules established by the Blessed One Gotama to protect the holy life (brahmacariya) of the community of monks and nuns.

The Anupasampannasahaseyya belongs to the Pātimokkha (the Rule of Discipline) or the detailed Vinaya contents, addressing a specific rule concerning the act of "lying down together" with those who have not yet received full ordination (upasampanna — that is, those who have not yet completed the rites of going forth). This is among the regulations that protect the purity of the monastic order, serving to maintain integrity within the community of renunciants.

The context from which this rule arose pertains to the Buddha and his disciples discovering conduct deemed inappropriate within the monastic community, whereupon the Blessed One set forth these regulations as a remedy.

Principal Contents

This rule prohibits bhikkhus from lying down in the same place together with one who has not received full ordination. Those who have not received full ordination include those still training in the basic precepts (sāmaṇera, novices), those who have not yet undergone the Upasampadā ceremony (full bhikkhu ordination), and those guests who have joined the community but do not yet hold official status.

The act of "lying down together" (sahaseyya) is not simply a matter of lying in the same room or on the same bed, but also encompasses the intentional act of resting together under conditions where bodily contact or undignified conduct could occur. The essential point is the conscious quality of "togetherness," rather than a chance or inadvertent circumstance.

The penalty for violating this rule is classified within the Pātimokkha, generally falling under Pācittiya — penance rules requiring the monastic to confess and perform service to the community. The precise determination of the penalty depends upon the specific circumstances and the intention of the one who commits the transgression. Bhikkhus must exercise self-restraint, remaining ever mindful in upholding the proper boundaries of space and bodily conduct.