Pgd Dg Bu Pm Pc 69Living With an Ejected Monastic

THE SUTTA ON LIVING WITH AN EJECTED MONASTIC

Ukkhittasambhoga

Background

This sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha Saṁvaranīya section, where regulations on discipline and ethics in the Buddhist Sangha are recorded. The background of the sutta appears in the period when the Buddha was still alive, when the Sangha needed to establish rules for living together in order to maintain harmony and purity.

The nature of the sutta revolves around a practical issue: when a monk or nun has been excluded from the Sangha because of serious violations, that is, has been ukkhitta, a Pāli term meaning “removed” or “ejected,” may or should other practitioners live together, eat together, or act together with that person? This is a question of association, of the boundaries of cooperation and recognition.

Main Content

According to the traditional Vinaya Piṭaka, when a monk or nun has been “ukkhitta,” removed or ejected, this means that the person is not recognized as an official member of the Sangha until they comply with specific conditions or are restored.

The sutta prescribes that other monks and nuns may not live in the same dwelling (sambhoga) with the ejected person. This includes not eating together from one food source, not using the same monastic facilities, and not going together in religious activities. In practice, “living together” (sambhoga) in the Vinaya context is understood as participation in communal acts, sharing property, and daily activities.

The reason for establishing these rules is not cruelty, but to create wise pressure, encouraging the excluded person to return to proper conduct. It is also the way the Sangha preserves the purity of the Sangha and demonstrates seriousness toward ethical regulations. Nevertheless, these rules also have exceptions, for example, if the ejected person is ill or in difficulty, other monks and nuns may still help with compassion.