Lzh Mi Bi Pm Pc 75Sitting in Private
Pāli / Sanskrit:Rahonisajja
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Rahonisajja Sutta: Sitting in Private
Background
The Rahonisajja Sutta (Sitting in Private) belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the early tradition, as part of the disciplinary regulations for monks and nuns. The background for the arising of this sutta is connected with the need to maintain purity and ethics within the monastic community. The Buddha, with unsurpassed wisdom, recognized the potential dangers that could arise from secluded meetings between monastics and people of the opposite sex.
This rule did not arise from baseless suspicion, but from a deep understanding of the nature of the human mind and the factors that can cause a practitioner to deviate from the Dharma. The Vinaya Piṭaka as a whole consists of practical guidelines, built upon specific events encountered by the Buddha or senior bhikkhus, intended to protect the complete purity of the Sangha.
Main Content
The Rahonisajja Sutta forbids monks and nuns from sitting privately (eka) in secluded or hidden spaces with people of the opposite sex, especially laypeople. This rule is one of the paccaya, conditions intended to protect holy conduct, preserve the honor of the Sangha, and also protect visitors and guests.
The wording in the Vinaya Piṭaka is clear: if a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī sits privately with a person of the opposite sex under unsuitable conditions, the act is considered a violation, specifically a pācittiya for a bhikkhu or a pārājika for a bhikkhunī in certain cases. This strict distinction reflects the spirit of Buddhist law: it is not arbitrary prohibition, but a reasonable preventive measure.
This rule also reminds us that purity has two aspects: not only one’s own ethical conduct, but also not giving others an opportunity for suspicion or slander. This is the concept of “aparajjhaniya,” being beyond reproach, a high ideal in early Buddhism.
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