Lzh Mg Bu Pm Pc 22Instructing Nuns After Sunset
Pāli / Sanskrit:Atthaṅgata
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Sutta on Instructing Nuns After Sunset (Atthaṅgata)
Background
This sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, reflecting the regulations governing the practice and daily life of nuns within the Saṅgha during the time of the Buddha. Atthaṅgata (atthaṅ = eight, gata = gone, having passed) refers to the eight rules concerning the activities of female practitioners after sunset, a period regarded as concealing many dangers both in terms of Dhamma and worldly affairs.
In early Buddhism, the use of time after dusk by nuns for communal activities or practice needed to be managed with transparency, so as to prevent misunderstanding, maintain discipline, and protect the honor of the Saṅgha. This sutta therefore records specific instructions from the Buddha given to nuns concerning activities that are permitted and not permitted during this sensitive period of time.
Principal Contents
According to the Vinaya Piṭaka tradition, the eight rules (atthaṅgata-sīla) relating to the time after sunset include restrictions on the gathering places, actions, and social interactions of nuns. Specifically, nuns are not permitted to meet privately with bhikkhus or male practitioners after this hour, unless there is an urgent reason and a witness is present. This is intended to protect their honor, to avoid unwarranted suspicions or fabrications, and to maintain the purity of virtuous conduct.
The sutta also stipulates that nuns should limit unnecessary activities after sunset, focusing instead on personal practice such as meditation, recitation of suttas, or mindful rest. Activities such as purposeless wandering, informal gatherings, or interactions that could give rise to false assumptions are all to be avoided, so as to uphold the principles of the Vinaya.
These rules are not unjustly imposed restrictions, but rather protective guidelines that help nuns to live in the trust of the community and to practice the Dhamma in a manner that is pure and unblemished.
Practical Significance
From the perspective of Theravāda practice, the Atthaṅgata sutta teaches that discipline is not an unreasonable austerity, but a means of protecting the mind and one's actions.
🌏 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.