Lzh Mi Bu Vb Np 27Getting a Nun to Wash Wool

EXPLANATION OF THE EḶAKALOMADHOVĀPANA TRAINING RULE

Background

Eḷakalomadhovāpana is one of the rules belonging to the twenty-seventh Nissaggiya Pācittiya in the Pāli Vinaya, regulating the relationship between bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs in the washing of wool. This rule was laid down by the Buddha during the period when the Sangha had developed with both male and female renunciant communities.

In the social context of India during the Buddha’s lifetime, wool (eḷakaloma) was an important material for making sitting cloths and garments for monks and nuns. However, a bhikkhu asking a bhikkhunī to perform personal service such as washing wool could lead to many abuses: harm to the dignity of the Sangha, opportunities for criticism from laypeople, and most importantly, violation of the spirit of equality in the spiritual vocation.

This rule displays the Buddha’s profound wisdom in protecting the dignity of both branches of the Sangha, while preventing exploitative conduct or the creation of inappropriate dependence in the pure life.

Main Content

According to the Theravāda tradition, Nissaggiya Pācittiya is a class of training rule requiring the offender to forfeit (nissajjati) the object connected with the violation, and then confess (pācittiya) the offence before the Sangha or a group of bhikkhus.

This twenty-seventh rule states: if a bhikkhu orders or asks a bhikkhunī who is not a relative to wash, dye, or card (dhovāpana) unprocessed wool, he commits a Nissaggiya Pācittiya offence.

The elements constituting the offence are:

1. Object: A bhikkhunī who is not related by blood (not a mother, sister, aunt, and so on)
2. Act: Ordering or requesting the work of washing, carding, or dyeing wool
3. Material: Unprocessed wool (eḷakaloma, raw wool)
4. Mental state: Knowing clearly that the other person is a bhikkhunī and that the action is contrary to the training rule

If the bhikkhunī is a blood relative, or if she does the work voluntarily without being asked, this rule is not violated. Likewise, if the wool has already been processed or woven into cloth, this rule does not apply.

When the rule is violated, the bhikkhu must forfeit that wool before the Sangha, acknowledge the fault, and then perform confession according to the procedure prescribed in the Khandhaka.

Practical Meaning

This training rule has deep meaning for modern practitioners in many respects:

First, it emphasizes the spirit of self-reliance in the renunciant life. Each monastic should personally perform essential tasks for himself or herself, and should not create burdens or dependence upon others, especially by creating impure relationships between male and female monastics.

Second, it is an expression of respect and equality. Although the Vinaya Piṭaka contains different formal regulations for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs, its fundamental spirit is that no one may exploit or look down upon another on the journey to liberation.