Lzh Sarv Bi Vb Pc 165Getting Nuns to Massage

Explanation of the Bhikkhunī-ummaddāpana Scripture

Improper Touching among Nuns

Background

This scripture belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, within the Pātimokkha Bhikkhunī, the discipline for nuns. The background is set when the Buddha was proclaiming the true Dharma at Sāvatthī, where there was a community of nuns practicing. Such Vinaya scriptures were recorded when incidents or conflicts occurred in the monastic community; from these the Buddha established rules (vinaya) to prevent offenses and protect the purity of the Sangha.

The Bhikkhunī-ummaddāpana scripture specifically concerns a nun touching the body of another nun in the form of massage or rubbing (ummaddāna), when this action arises from an improper or exploitative purpose. According to the principle of the fourfold rule (catuvaggiya) in the Pātimokkha Bhikkhunī, actions involving improper touching of another person’s body are matters of discipline that need to be clearly defined.

Main Content

This rule records that the act of massaging or touching the body of another nun, whether under the name of health care or for any reason, when there is no clear consent or when there is a distorted intention, is a violation of the Pātimokkha. Respecting the boundaries of the body is foundational to moral conduct (sīla) in Theravāda Buddhism.

The rule especially emphasizes that even physical actions thought to be “care” must follow the principle of respecting the person and not exploiting monastic status. If a nun truly requires care, this should be done in a proper manner, usually through responsible persons, such as an instructing nun or those experienced in care for the sick.

According to the Pāli Canon, a Pācittiya violation (Pāli: pācittiya) of this rule leads to the nun confessing before the Sangha and performing penance.