Lzh Sarv Bi Vb Ss 9Reinstating One Ejected

The Sutta on Reinstating an Expelled Monastic

Background

This text is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, a core division of Theravāda Buddha-Dharma. The Vinaya Pitaka is not merely a collection of restrictive rules, but the concrete expression of the teaching on ethics, focused on forming a harmonious and pure community of practice.

In the context of the monastic community, there are cases in which a person commits a serious fault or acts contrary to the training, leading to the measure of excluding that person from the community (ukkhepana). This is a serious act, performed to protect the ethical health of the Sangha. Yet the Buddha-Dharma also teaches that the path of practice is a path of rescue and renewal. Therefore, when an expelled monastic recognizes the mistake, changes conduct, and with wholesome intention strives to return to the true path, the Sangha needs a mechanism for reinstating that person.

The text “Reinstating an Expelled Monastic” (Ukkhittakaosāraṇa) explains the procedure and conditions by which a monastic may be readmitted to the community officially and fully.

Main Content

According to the Vinaya Pitaka tradition, reinstating an expelled monastic is not a simple matter, but requires clear procedural steps. First, that monastic must show genuine repentance through action, speech, and mind. It is not merely saying words of repentance, but must include concrete expressions of change.

An important element is that the monastic must request reinstatement before the Sangha solemnly and humbly. This procedure cannot be carried out hastily or carelessly. The Sangha, as the Dharma body of the Three Jewels, must consider each case individually, assessing the degree of repentance of the monastic and the reliability of that change.

The discipline also prescribes that not all forms of discipline (upasampadā) can be revoked and reinstated. Only monastics expelled for remediable reasons are eligible for reinstatement.