Lzh Mi Bu Vb Pc 23Instructing Nuns in a Nunnery

Explanation of the Bhikkhunupassaya Text (Instructing Bhikkhunīs in a Monastery)

Background

The Bhikkhunupassaya text belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, recording the regulations of the Buddha Gotama concerning the instruction and teaching of bhikkhunīs in a nunnery. The background arose from specific situations in the early community of nuns, when the Buddha saw the need to establish rules to ensure the quality of instruction, maintain discipline, and protect the honor of the pure community of monks and nuns.

In the Buddha's time, although women monastics were acknowledged by him as capable of attaining nirvana, they needed to train under the careful guidance of those who had reached higher accomplishment. Therefore, the regulations concerning the instruction of nuns were not merely restrictions, but conditions supporting their progress toward awakening. The Bhikkhunupassaya text reflects the Buddha's compassion and clarity in building a healthy community of practice.

Main Content

This text concerns specific regulations on how bhikkhus or senior bhikkhunīs should guide younger or newly ordained nuns. The emphasis lies in carrying out the duty of instruction (anupassaya) properly, with purity of purpose and method.

Specifically, the text states that instructors must meet standards of virtue, wisdom, and experience in practice. They must not instruct nuns for impure purposes such as desire for gain, anger, or delusion. Instead, the aim is to help nuns develop virtue (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā) according to the true Dharma.

The text also establishes conditions regarding place, time, and manner of instruction so as to avoid suspicion or harm to reputation. In particular, instruction must be public, witnessed by the community of monks and nuns, and not secret or hidden.