Lzh Mu Bi Vb Pc 41Living With an Ejected Monastic
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ukkhittasambhoga
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Exposition of the Ukkhittasambhoga Rule (Living with One Who Has Been Expelled)
Background
The Ukkhittasambhoga rule belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition of the Buddha-Dharma and is part of the disciplinary regulations concerning the bhikkhunī Sangha community. In the first centuries after the Buddha’s nirvana, the Vinaya Piṭaka was established to maintain a pure way of life and proper standards of dwelling for those who had gone forth.
This rule addresses a disciplinary situation in the Sangha: when a bhikkhunī has been expelled (ukkhitta) because of violations of discipline, may other nuns continue to live together (sambhoga) with her? These are practical questions in the administration of a monastic community, concerning principles of spiritual distance, the purity of the Sangha body, and fair treatment of those who have committed faults.
The background of this rule reflects a practical need: how can the Sangha body maintain unity and purity when one member violates the Vinaya? These regulations are not for harsh punishment, but to protect the spirit of practice of the entire community.
Main Content
The Ukkhittasambhoga rule states that when a nun has been expelled from the Sangha body for serious violations, other nuns may not live together with her in the same residence, may not share the bathhouse, may not share water and food, may not participate in common recitations, and may not be enrolled in community activities.
However, the rule also notes that this does not mean completely abandoning compassion or refusing humanitarian assistance. It is a form of “separation from association” (parivāsa or ukkhepaniya), a distance in terms of Sangha relations, not a severing of loving-kindness. The expelled person still has the opportunity to amend herself and return to the community if she shows sincere repentance and a commitment to resume practice.
The important point is this: expulsion is a temporary measure with a rehabilitative purpose, not a punishment or permanent discrimination.
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