Lzh Mg Bu Pm Pc 23Instructing Nuns in a Nunnery
Pāli / Sanskrit:Bhikkhunupassaya
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Instructing Nuns in a Nunnery
(Bhikkhunupassaya)
Background
This text belongs to the Vinaya Pitaka, specifically to the Pātimokkha Samvara (the independent code of discipline), in the section governing nuns. During the time of the Buddha, the community of female monastics (bhikkhunī sangha) was established after the Buddha granted the request of his foster mother, Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī. However, the administration of a nunnery requires clear principles and strict discipline in order to ensure the sustainable flourishing of the monastic community.
The Bhikkhunupassaya (Instructing Nuns in a Nunnery) was recorded in the context of the Buddha and senior monastics providing guidance on how to properly administer a nunnery. This is an important part of the Vinaya, as the Pāli Canon holds that adherence to the rules of discipline is the foundation of pure practice.
Main Content
The main content of this text focuses on the guiding principles (passaya—guidance, direction) that senior nuns and elder monastics should follow when governing the community of female monastics. The text makes clear that instructing nuns is not merely a matter of transmitting doctrine, but also encompasses teaching on ethics, discipline, and the cultivation of meditation.
According to the Theravāda tradition, senior female monastics are required to:
First, teach nuns to observe the five precepts (pañca-sīla) as well as the more specific precepts designated for female monastics. Steadfastness in moral discipline is the prerequisite for the purification of the mind.
Second, provide guidance in meditation (bhāvanā). Nuns are encouraged to cultivate satipaṭṭhāna (the four foundations of mindfulness), ānāpānasati (mindfulness of breathing), or other meditation practices suited to the individual dispositions of each person.
Third, nurture wisdom (paññā) through the study of the scriptures, the discussion of the Dharma, and the memorization of the Buddha's teachings. Wisdom is not merely theoretical understanding, but direct insight into the true nature of phenomena: anicca—impermanence, dukkha—suffering, anattā—non-self.
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