Lzh Sarv Upali 7Questions on Relinquishment

Questions on Relinquishment (Nissaggiyapucchā)

Background

The Vinaya Piṭaka is a collection of rules of conduct and discipline for the monastic community of monks and nuns. Within it, the Nissaggiyapucchā, or "Questions on Relinquishment," forms part of the Pātimokkha (the Code of Discipline) specifically pertaining to nuns, and belongs to the tradition of the Venerable Upāli — the monk whom the Buddha trusted above all in matters of Vinaya.

This text came into being when nuns encountered complex situations relating to property, clothing, requisites, and the proper manner of handling them in accordance with the Dharma. In particular, it addresses the thirty rules concerning "relinquishment with confession" (nissaggiya pācittiya) — offenses that require a declaration of fault before the community and the relinquishment of the object that gave rise to the offense.

The historical context indicates that nuns originally harbored doubts about how to handle material possessions, especially items that had been offered as requisites but were used in excess of the prescribed limits. The Nissaggiyapucchā was composed to clarify these ambiguities, helping monks and nuns to understand clearly the boundary between accepting and refusing material objects.

Main Content

The thirty rules of relinquishment in this text relate primarily to three areas: inner garments, supplementary robes, and personal requisites.

The detailed regulations concerning robe-cloth are as follows: A nun is not permitted to keep cloth for robes beyond what is necessary for more than three months without relinquishing it or giving it away. If the time limit passes and she has not relinquished it, this constitutes a nissaggiya offense — she must publicly declare her fault before the entire community of nuns in the monastery, and thereafter relinquish the object to the community or to another person.

The text also sets forth rules regarding gold, silver, and currency: A nun is absolutely prohibited from keeping or storing gold, silver, or any form of currency whatsoever. If any such items are received, they must be relinquished immediately, or another person must be requested to take them away; they may not remain in one's possession for more than a single night.