San Lo Bu Pm Pc 27Travelling on a Boat With a Nun
Pāli / Sanskrit:Nāvābhiruhana
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EXPLANATION OF THE NĀVĀBHIRUHANA RULE (TRAVELLING ON A BOAT WITH A NUN)
Background
The Nāvābhiruhana rule belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli tradition, specifically within Saṅghādisesa, the second most important group of rules after Pārājika. This is the twenty-seventh rule in the Pācittiya section of the Bhikkhu Pātimokkha, concerning a bhikkhu traveling by boat together with a bhikkhunī.
This rule was established in the context of the Sangha in the Buddha’s time, when travel by water played an important role in the Ganges region. The Buddha saw that bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs traveling together on the same boat, especially on long journeys, could lead to unnecessary suspicion among laypeople and damage the pure image of the Sangha. Moreover, the confined space of a boat and extended contact could create conditions for situations unsuitable to the deportment of one gone forth.
The establishment of this rule reflects the Blessed One’s carefulness in protecting the virtue of monks and nuns, while also maintaining the confidence of the lay community in Buddhism.
Main Content
The Nāvābhiruhana rule clearly states: a bhikkhu must not arrange or agree to travel on the same boat with a bhikkhunī from one village to another, except in special cases such as crossing a river, not a long journey.
The basis of this rule rests upon the principle of "āpatti pācittiya," committing a Pācittiya offense, one of the ninety-two rules in the class requiring confession before the Sangha in order to purify the precept-body again. Although it is not a grave offense like Saṅghādisesa or Pārājika, violation of this rule shows a lack of caution in deportment and may damage the reputation of one gone forth.
The elements constituting the violation include: (1) prior arrangement or agreement; (2) boarding the same boat with a bhikkhunī; (3) a journey from one bank to another, from one village to another; (4) not falling under an exception such as urgent danger or merely crossing a short stretch of river.
This rule expresses the spirit of "viveka" (seclusion), the keeping away from conditions that may lead to defilements. Even when the mind is pure, one gone forth must still avoid circumstances that may cause misunderstanding or provide conditions for defilements to arise.
Practical Meaning
The Nāvābhiruhana rule carries deep educational value for monastics in the modern age. Although means of transportation have changed, from boats to cars, trains, and airplanes, the spirit of the rule remains valid: maintaining purity of deportment and avoiding situations that may harm the image of the Sangha.
In the present day, this principle is applied more broadly: bhikkhus need to be cautious when traveling with women, not only bhikkhunīs, in enclosed or restricted spaces, especially on long journeys. This caution does not arise from suspicion of one another’s virtue, but from the wisdom of restraint, "saṃvara," a basic virtue of the Buddhist practitioner.
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