Lzh Mi Bu Pm Pc 23Instructing Nuns in a Nunnery

The Sutta on Instructing Nuns in the Nunnery

Bhikkhunupassaya - Theravāda Vinaya Pitaka

Background

This sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, recording rules for governing the community of nuns in nunneries (bhikkhunupassaya). In the time of Śākyamuni Buddha, after the Buddha had established the twofold Sangha of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs (bhikkhu-bhikkhunī saṃgha), the management and instruction of nuns became an important matter requiring clear guidance.

This sutta is placed among the regulations related to discipline (saṃvara) and order in the community of nuns. According to the Theravāda tradition, these rules are not an imposition from outside, but principles that help elevate virtuous practice, peaceful dwelling, and the attainment of liberation.

Main Content

This sutta focuses on the principles for teaching and guiding nuns within the nunnery. Specifically, it concerns the duties of senior nuns (thara bhikkhunī) in instructing, teaching, and supervising newly ordained nuns (navakā bhikkhunī).

These instructions include teaching about basic virtue (sīla), the practice of meditation (samādhi), the development of wisdom (paññā), as well as practical skills for living together harmoniously in community. The sutta emphasizes that the teacher must be an example of morality, acting in accordance with the teaching, in order to create a safe and encouraging environment for practice.

In addition, the sutta also identifies situations requiring intervention or adjustment in the management of the nunnery, to ensure that all members observe the Pātimokkha, the fundamental rules, and the common disciplinary rules of monks and nuns.

Practical Meaning

The importance of this sutta lies in its recognition of the essential role of education and instruction in Buddhist practice. Teaching is not authoritarian command, but an act of compassion (karuṇā) intended to help others develop spiritually.