Lzh Mi Bi Vb Ss 17Renouncing the Training
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sikkhaṁpaccācikkhaṇa
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EXPLANATION OF THE SUTTA ON RENOUNCING THE TRAINING
Background
The Sikkhaṁpaccācikkhaṇa section, Renouncing the Training, belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhadharma tradition. This is one of the texts regulating discipline in the Sangha, dealing with the situation in which one who has gone forth, whether a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī, decides to abandon the trainings (sikkha) that they undertook at the time of ordination.
In the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, the trainings (sikkha) are not merely rules but a comprehensive way of practice, helping one gone forth restrain the sense faculties, strive in cultivation, and proceed toward liberation. When someone formally declares the renunciation of these trainings, it is a serious matter concerning personal identity, status in the Sangha, and the integrity of the Dharma and Vinaya.
Main Content
The sutta states clearly the conditions and sequence when one gone forth wishes to renounce the training. First, that person must personally declare this intention clearly; no one can force them or speak on their behalf. The declaration must be made before the Sangha or before members qualified in the spirit of the Vinaya to witness it.
This process is not simple or harmless. It requires awareness of the consequences: one who renounces the training loses the status of bhikkhu or bhikkhunī and no longer enjoys the rights and respect belonging to that status. This also has karmic significance, because abandoning solemn vows has immediate consequences for body and mind.
The Vinaya Piṭaka also considers different kinds of "renunciation": whether the person renounces because of health, because of inability to observe the training, or because of an intention to return. These distinctions affect how the Sangha handles the matter and how the person is treated if they later wish to return to the path of practice.
Practical Meaning
The Sutta on Renouncing the Training teaches us that the path of practice is not a light or temporary commitment.
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