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Tūlonaddha Discourse

Background

The Tūlonaddha discourse is recorded in the Vinaya of the Pāli Canon, in the Pratimoksha Sutra section, the training rules that bhikkhunīs must observe. This is part of the 227 rules of the Bhikkhuni Patimokkha, where specific acts and their corresponding penalties are recorded.

The historical background of this discourse relates to the period after the Buddha formally allowed women to go forth and become bhikkhunīs. At that time, the community of female monastics developed rapidly, and clear regulations were needed to maintain discipline. The Tūlonaddha discourse is one of the detailed regulations intended to control the use of material furnishings, especially fabrics designed or decorated in an overly refined way.

Main Content

The Tūlonaddha discourse regulates the use of restricted fabrics or objects covered, padded, or decorated with excessively refined cloth. Specifically, this rule prevents bhikkhunīs from possessing or using furnishings elaborately adorned, such as pillows, mattresses, or soft items made from wool, down, or other high-quality materials.

The reason for establishing this rule comes from a basic principle of the Buddhadharma: liberation from the pursuit of material comfort. Excessive dependence on comfortable objects gives rise to craving, agitates the mind, and hinders spiritual progress. Bhikkhunīs have gone forth to seek liberation, so clinging to luxurious objects unintentionally contradicts the goal of practice.

When a bhikkhunī violates this rule, by possessing or using prohibited items, she is subject to Nissaggiya Pacittiya, an offense requiring forfeiture and confession. This means she must voluntarily relinquish the item and confess the violation before the Sangha.