San Lo Bu Pm Pc 5Teaching Someone of the Opposite Gender Alone
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dhammadesanā
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Exposition of the Dhammadesanā Scripture
On Teaching the Dharma to Someone of the Opposite Gender
Background
The Dhammadesanā scripture is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the disciplinary section (Pātimokkha) of the Theravāda tradition. It is not a theoretical discourse on the Dharma, but a set of training rules specially taught by Buddha Shakyamuni to protect the purity and confidence of the community of monks, nuns, and Buddhist disciples.
The background of this scripture is related to maintaining trust and purity in the Sangha community. The Buddha saw that when a male monastic taught the Dharma privately to a female monastic, or conversely, it could create unnecessary suspicion and gossip from the community and the public. This affects not only personal honor but also the reputation of the Sangha as a whole.
Main Content
This scripture states that a bhikkhu should not teach the Dharma privately to a bhikkhunī for a long time or in enclosed circumstances. Likewise, a bhikkhunī should not privately receive instruction from a bhikkhu without a third person present.
This rule is called one of the "minor offenses" (dukkaṭa), that is, conduct not in accordance with proper custom which, though it may not be a grave offense, should still be avoided in order to preserve purity. The Buddha taught that a practitioner should live in such a way as not only to practice rightly according to the Dharma, but also to allow others to trust that one is practicing rightly.
The core of this rule lies in the principle of "Saṅghādisesa," maintaining harmony in the Sangha by avoiding actions that may give rise to suspicion or loss of trust, even when the action is pure in intention.
Practical Meaning
The Dhammadesanā scripture teaches us a profound lesson about carefulness in communication between people of different genders, especially in the context of religious practice.
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