Lzh Sarv Bi Vb Pc 86Throwing Out a Monastic

Nikkaḍḍhana Discourse (Pācittiya 86) - Explanation of the Vinaya Piṭaka

Background

Nikkaḍḍhana (from Pāli: nik + kaḍḍhana, meaning “to remove outward”) is one of the prohibitions (Pācittiya) recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Early Buddhist tradition. The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection that sets forth all rules of practice and communal life for bhikkhus and bhikkhunī in the Sangha.

The Pācittiya collection contains 227 prohibitions for bhikkhus (for bhikkhunī there are 311). These rules are not lofty moral judgments, but practical regulations intended to maintain order, protect the honor of the Sangha, and support the community of monastics on the journey to awakening.

Rule 86 on Nikkaḍḍhana concerns the matter of removing a member of the Sangha from the community, a serious disciplinary measure applied when there is negligence in the actions or thoughts of a bhikkhu.

Main Content

According to the spirit of the Early Buddhist Vinaya Piṭaka, removing a bhikkhu from the Sangha (nikkaḍḍhana) is not an arbitrary decision by an individual. This is a measure applied through an official procedure of the entire Sangha, and can be carried out only when that person has violated especially serious prohibitions or refuses to acknowledge and correct their fault.

The act of nikkaḍḍhana reflects the Buddhist principle of communal governance: first, the decision must be made democratically by the whole Sangha, not by a few people; second, the purpose of this action is admonition and encouragement of reform, not punishment for the sake of punishment; third, there is an opportunity to regain one’s position if the person sincerely repents.

This rule also emphasizes that external actions, such as not eating together, not speaking, or avoiding contact, are only outward expressions. What matters is that the person recognizes the fault, practices inner correction (paṭipadā), and returns to the ethical path.