Lzh Mu Bu Pm Pc 23Teaching Nuns for Profit

Explanation of the Āmisa Text (Teaching Bhikkhunīs for Gain)

Background

This text belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Pāli Canon of the Theravāda tradition, where regulations concerning the discipline and ethics of monastics are recorded. Rule 23 of the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha, the code of precepts for bhikkhunīs, revolves around Āmisa, or material gain, a subject the Buddha regarded as very important when defining limits in the life of practice.

The historical background shows that even in the Buddha’s time, there were noble women, bhikkhunīs, who were tempted to teach the Dharma in order to obtain gain: robes, food, money, or other requisites. This violates the spirit of practice, because a mistaken motivation stains both the Dharma and the mind of the teacher as well as the listener. Therefore, the Buddha established a strict rule to protect the purity of the teaching.

Main Content

This text prohibits bhikkhunīs from teaching the Dharma with the main purpose of receiving Āmisa (material gain). The article stipulates that if a female noble one teaches the Dharma to people with the hope of pleasing or flattering them, that is, with the purpose of obtaining gifts, benefits, or respect from listeners, she has violated a serious rule, a Pācittiya, an act requiring confession.

The subtle distinction here is motivation (cetanā). If a bhikkhunī teaches the Dharma with pure motivation, solely wishing to transmit the teaching in order to help beings become free from suffering, that is an action in accordance with the Dharma. Conversely, if the chief intention is to obtain Āmisa, then even if the Dharma taught is accurate, it cannot erase the fault of the mistaken motivation.

This rule applies to all forms of teaching: loving-kindness (mettā), Dharma conversation, preaching the Dharma, or any form of conveying the teaching. This is why the Vinaya Piṭaka records the different cases in great detail, from teaching an individual to teaching a group of people.