Lzh Sarv Bi Vb Pc 149Staying Apart From Monks

The Abhikkhukāvāsa Scripture: On Dwelling Separately Apart from Bhikkhus

Background

The Abhikkhukāvāsa scripture belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, specifically in the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, the detailed legal rules for bhikkhunīs. Although it is related to the discipline of bhikkhunīs, this scripture revolves around a key principle in Buddhist monastic life: legitimate separation among members of the Sangha.

In the Buddha’s time, as the Sangha developed with an increasing number of disciples, arranging dwellings and maintaining discipline became extremely important. The rules concerning lodging were not merely administrative regulations, but also expressions of respect, self-restraint, and cultivation of disciplinary conduct (sīla). This scripture reflects the Buddha’s mindfulness toward situations that could lead to discord or create conditions for error in the Sangha.

Main Content

The Abhikkhukāvāsa scripture regulates the matter of bhikkhus or bhikkhunīs not dwelling in the same place without proper permission or management. This rule does not arise from suspicion or lack of trust, but from the principle of protecting all practitioners: protecting both the reputation of the Sangha and adherence to ethics.

Specifically, for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs to stay separately in one place, outside permitted cases such as father and child or husband and wife, may create unnecessary suspicions among worldly people. The Buddha held that practice is not only inner cultivation but also includes outward action, maintaining the pure image of the Sangha. This is called “consideration of impression” (ussita apperiya-vohāra), that is, considering how one’s actions affect the way others view the monastery and Buddhism.

This rule is also related to the concept of being “skilled in discipline” (sīlavant). A monastic not only needs to preserve the discipline perfectly, but must also avoid conditions that arouse suspicion.