Lzh Mu Bu Vb As 4Further Penalty

An Explanation of the Tassapāpiyasikā Sutta (Imposing a Further Penalty)

Background

Tassapāpiyasikā is a rule found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga (analysis of the rules for nuns). This sutta is recorded in the Theravada Buddha-Dharma tradition through the Pali Canon, reflecting the disciplinary principles of the Sangha in the time of the Buddha.

The rules concerning “a further penalty” (tassapāpiyasikā) appear when a nun violates a rule and then continues to offend or conceals that violation. This is not a basic rule, but one arising from a specific situation, one of the characteristics of the Theravada Vinaya Piṭaka.

This background shows that the Buddha not only established rules of conduct, but also built a flexible disciplinary system suited to situations arising in the Sangha. Each rule has a background story, a specific circumstance that prompted its necessity.

Main Content

In the Vinaya Piṭaka, when a nun commits an offense and does not follow the disciplinary procedure (parivāsa, temporary suspension of monastic privileges, or mānatta, a period of humility), or conceals her violation, the corresponding penalty becomes heavier. This is the principle of “Tassapāpiyasikā,” a punishment even heavier than the original act.

This principle is based on the Buddha’s intention to protect the Sangha from internal corruption. If a nun violates a rule but stubbornly denies it, or tries to conceal the truth, then the attack on the honesty and cleanliness of the Sangha is greater than the original violation.

This rule also reflects the principle of “gradation,” the scaling of penalties in the Vinaya Piṭaka. Not every fault has the same penalty. The particularity of the case, concealment, and stubborn denial are factors that change the nature of the wrongdoing, thereby making the punishment heavier.