Lzh Sarv Bu Pm Pc 5Teaching Someone of the Opposite Gender Alone
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dhammadesanā
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
The Sutta on Teaching the Dharma to Someone of the Opposite Sex
Background
This text comes from the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, where subtle regulations concerning ethical conduct are recorded in detail. The story arose when Buddhist disciples, in the course of teaching the Dharma, had to interact with people — not only those of the same sex. This was a practical issue in the early monastic community: how should purity of mind and proper decorum be maintained when a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī must teach the Dharma to someone of the opposite sex?
The Buddha saw the need to guide his disciples in proper conduct, both respecting equality in access to the Dharma and protecting the purity of the Noble Sangha. The Vinaya Piṭaka therefore records specific principles for this situation.
Main Content
This rule teaches that when a monk or bhikkhunī teaches the Dharma (Dhammadesanā) to a person of another sex, certain principles should be observed to avoid offense or misunderstanding. The purpose is not to restrict the proclamation of the Dharma, but to protect the integrity of the teaching and the community.
The main principles include: avoiding private or solitary situations, not giving special favoritism or engaging in interactions beyond spiritual instruction, and always maintaining respect and appropriate distance. If possible, the teaching should be given in public or with a third person present; this both protects the teacher and creates fairness for the student of the Dharma.
The Buddha did not forbid this completely, but instructed how to practice properly. Teaching the Dharma is a noble duty, but it must be carried out with wisdom (paññā) and heedfulness (appamāda). This is proper: preserving both the Dharma and the image of those who practice it.
Practical Meaning
In the modern context, this rule teaches us that spreading the Buddha-Dharma must always balance openness and caution.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.