San Lo Bi Pn 39Nuns’ Removal

Discourse on the Exclusion of Bhikkhunīs (Bhikṣuṇīnām Uddhāro)

Background

This discourse belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddha Dharma tradition, specifically in San Lo Bi Pn (Sanghādisesa, matters leading to separation from the Sangha). These are rules connected with serious conduct by a bhikkhunī which, if violated, cause the female practitioner to be excluded from the community of monks and nuns until rehabilitation.

According to the Theravāda tradition, the Buddha established the Bhikkhunī Sangha to create conditions for women to practice toward liberation. However, to protect the purity of the order and maintain monastic discipline, the Buddha issued specific rules. The Nuns’ Removal discourse presents actions or positions that cause a bhikkhunī to lose the community’s trust and be temporarily excluded (parivāsa) or completely expelled (pabbājjanā).

Main Content

This discourse addresses situations in which a bhikkhunī commits violations related to body, speech, and mind, specifically actions that violate the purity of one who practices, such as inappropriate acts with men, or statements and attitudes that create division in the community. These violations are not Pārājika offenses, matters requiring permanent expulsion from the Sangha, but Sanghādisesa offenses, requiring the observance of rehabilitation through temporary isolation and not being permitted to participate in important community activities until the community accepts her again.

These violations include actions or speech that cause loss of confidence among monks and nuns, or actions that harm the unity and harmony of the women’s order. The process of rehabilitation requires the bhikkhunī to demonstrate genuine repentance and a commitment to renewal.

Practical Meaning

The Bhikṣuṇīnām Uddhāro discourse is not only an administrative rule in the Sangha, but also a noble ethical standard.