Lzh Sarv Bu Pm Pc 28Sitting in Private

Sitting in Private — AI Explanation

Identifying Information:
Tradition: Sectarian Buddhist Texts · Comparative | Collection: Comparative Vinaya — Chinese | No.: Lzh Sarv Bu Pm Pc 28 | Vietnamese Title: Sitting in Private | English Title: Sitting in Private | Technical Title: Rahonisajja

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Source Status

This is an AI explanation, not a translation of an original canonical text. The source text of this training rule, belonging to the Chinese Vinaya of the Sarvāstivāda tradition, does not yet have a directly compared full text in the accessible database. Therefore, the content presented below is based entirely on the provided descriptive information, combined with general understanding of the structure of sectarian Vinaya literature and the relevant technical terminology. Readers and practitioners should compare it with the original Chinese text or a reliable scholarly translation before applying it to Vinaya practice.

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Background

The training rule numbered Pc 28 (Pācittiya 28, or its equivalent in the Chinese Sarvāstivāda tradition) belongs to the group of Pācittiya rules, that is, a category of training rules lighter than pārājika or saṅghādisesa, but still requiring confession and handling within the Sangha when violated.

The Comparative Vinaya — Chinese is a modern scholarly work intended to compare Vinaya training rules among different schools. Among these, the Sarvāstivāda is one of the major sectarian traditions, especially widespread in ancient Central Asia and China, where its Vinaya was transmitted in Chinese. The training rule Rahonisajja, Sitting in Private, appears in the section of rules for bhikkhus, male monastics, as the twenty-eighth Pācittiya rule in this tradition.

The designation Bu Pm in the code suggests that this rule belongs to the Bhikkhu Pātimokkha, the code for male monastics in the Sarvāstivāda context, compiled and transmitted in Chinese.

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Content That Can Be Determined from the Descriptive Information

The technical term Rahonisajja may be analyzed as follows:

• Raho (Pāli/Sanskrit: rahas): a secluded, hidden, private place, out of others’ sight.
• Nisajja (nisajjā): the act of sitting down, sitting, the sitting posture.

Together, Rahonisajja means "sitting in a private or concealed place", that is, the act of a bhikkhu sitting alone with a woman, or in circumstances where no third person is present as witness, in a secluded or hidden place.

This is a common training rule appearing in many Vinaya traditions with similar core content: a bhikkhu is forbidden to sit privately with a woman in a place where no third person can see or hear them. The purpose of this rule is to protect the virtue and reputation of one gone forth, to prevent misunderstandings and unwholesome rumors in the community, and at the same time to create favorable conditions for the complete practice of brahmacariya.

In sectarian Vinaya systems generally, this training rule often comes together with regulations concerning:

• Spatial scope: a concealed place where no third person can see or hear.
• Relevant person: often an intelligent woman (viññū itthī), that is, an adult capable of understanding.
• Degree of offense: depending on intention and specific circumstances, usually judged within the Pācittiya category.

However, because the full Chinese Sarvāstivāda source text has not been directly compared in this context, specific details about conditions of offense, exceptions, and the method of confession according to the Sarvāstivāda tradition need to be researched from the original text.

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Meaning for Practice

The training rule Rahonisajja carries a deep and practical message for cultivation:

First, it reflects the principle of guarding the sense faculties (indriya-saṃvara), that is, protecting the faculties and avoiding circumstances likely to give rise to craving, heedlessness, or defilement of mind. Sitting privately with a woman creates unfavorable conditions for maintaining brahmacariya, even if the bhikkhu himself has a pure mind.

Second, the training rule expresses the spirit of protecting the community and the faith of laypeople. The conduct of one gone forth affects not only himself but also the purity and reputation of the Sangha. When a bhikkhu avoids sitting privately with a woman, he is protecting not only his own virtue, but also the confidence of worldly people in the Three Jewels.

Third, the training rule reminds us of the importance of transparency and verifiability in the life of practice. A practitioner does not only keep discipline inwardly, but also conducts himself so that others can witness his conduct and have no basis for misunderstanding or slander.

For lay practitioners, this training rule also opens an important lesson: environment and circumstance greatly influence mental formations. Actively creating wholesome and transparent circumstances in relationships is part of the path to liberation.

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Comparative Note

• The technical title Rahonisajja shows similarity to training rules on the same theme in the Pāli Vinaya and other sectarian Vinayas; however, the detailed content and judgments among traditions may differ significantly.
• The number Pc 28 in the Chinese Sarvāstivāda system does not necessarily correspond exactly in sequence to the rule of the same title in other traditions.
• Researchers should consult the original Chinese text of the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya together with scholarly comparative materials among the sectarian Vinaya systems in order to gain a comprehensive and accurate understanding of this training rule.

This explanation is only an initial orientation based on currently available descriptive information, and cannot replace direct study of the original texts.