Upp Pc 24Instructing Nuns in a Nunnery

BHIKKHUNUPASSAYA SUTTA: INSTRUCTING BHIKKHUNĪS IN A NUNNERY

Background

Upp Pc 24, Uppannaka Pandaka, the added regulations, is a part of the Vinaya Piṭaka, especially within the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, the section explaining ethical rules for female monastics (bhikkhunī). This text was recorded in the context of the early days of the Buddhist Sangha, when the Buddha allowed women to go forth and train.

The arising of the Bhikkhunī Sangha, the community of female monastics, was an important event in the history of Buddhism. However, in order to maintain the purity of the Sangha and protect the honor of the female monastics, the Buddha established many detailed regulations. Bhikkhunupassaya, in effect “guidance of bhikkhunīs,” is one of these regulations, concerning how male monastics (bhikkhu) or senior female monastics instruct and admonish new nuns or those studying in a nunnery.

Main Content

This text stipulates that when a bhikkhu or a senior bhikkhunī needs to give Dharma instruction to female monastics or attendants at a nunnery (bhikkhunupassaya), certain principles must be observed. These principles ensure that the instruction takes place in a dignified, wholesome manner, in keeping with the ethics of the Buddha-Dharma.

Specifically, the text sets out the situations and methods by which, when a bhikkhu instructs bhikkhunīs, or when a senior bhikkhunī guides other female monastics, suitable witnesses must be present. This is not suspicion of the instructor’s character, but a measure to protect the clarity of the religious community and avoid needless talk from those of limited faith.

The text also mentions the times and places in which instruction should follow these rules. For example, private instruction or more sensitive occasions require appropriate precautions. All these regulations arise from the fundamental principle of maintaining purity (brahmacariya) and protecting the honor of the Buddhist Sangha.