Lzh Mu Bi Pm Pc 87Dismissing a Companion

Sutta on the Separation from a Companion (Dutiyikauyyojana)

Background

This text appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha, the disciplinary rules of the monastic community. Dutiyikauyyojana, or “Separation from a Companion” (Dismissing a Companion), is a rule concerning relationships among those gone forth in the early Buddhist community.

The text was recorded in the context of the Buddha and the Sangha living together and practicing the Dharma according to principles of harmonious coexistence. This rule reflects practical situations that occurred when members of the community did not observe the precepts or behaved in ways that negatively affected the group. The Vinaya Piṭaka was compiled to maintain discipline, generosity, and the purity of monks and nuns, in order to protect the community from destructive elements.

The “separation” of a monk or nun is not permanent expulsion, but a temporary penalty with an educational and admonitory purpose. This shows that the early Buddhist community was not an absolutely inviolable collective, but a living structure capable of self-regulation and maintaining internal discipline.

Main Content

Dutiyikauyyojana refers to the case in which a renunciant is decided to be “separated” from the Sangha community because of a violation of the rules. This act is not simply the removal of an individual, but a structured disciplinary measure carried out through formal meetings of the whole Sangha or authorized members.

The specific content of this text has not yet been fully translated in available materials; however, according to the general context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, a decision of separation usually relates to serious conduct such as failing to correct oneself after repeated admonition, violating basic monastic rules, or acting in ways that create division in the community.