San Lo Bi Pn 38Monks’ Removal

Discourse on the Removal of Bhikkhus (Bhikṣūṇām Uddhāro)

Background

The discourse Monks’ Removal (bhikṣūṇām uddhāro) originates in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This is the legal discipline regulating the committed life of bhikkhus, those who have gone forth and belong to the monastic community.

The Vinaya Piṭaka is recorded as a collection of regulations and educational stories, built to maintain discipline and harmony in the community of bhikkhus. Every rule arises from specific events in the life of the Buddha and his early disciples. This San Lo Bi Pn 38 discourse is classified in the Sankhara Vagga, the section of rules related to removal or the handling of members from the community.

The historical background shows that the Buddha established forms of discipline not merely to punish, but to protect the purity of the Sangha body and help offending bhikkhus have the opportunity to correct themselves and return to the path of the true Dharma.

Main Content

This discourse addresses the process of removing a bhikkhu from the Sangha body in cases of serious violation or failure to observe discipline. According to the Theravāda tradition, a bhikkhu may be “uddhāro,” removed or expelled, if he commits serious offenses such as killing, stealing, sexual intercourse, or falsely claiming superhuman attainments.

This process is not an arbitrary decision. It must be carried out through an official meeting of the Sangha body, with clear regulations concerning the required number of members, voting procedure, and the opportunity for the accused bhikkhu to defend himself. The purpose is not permanent punishment, but the protection of the integrity of the Sangha body and the opportunity for that individual to find another path or learn from his mistakes.