San Mg Bu Pm Pc 72Travelling With Thieves

The Theyyasattha Rule: Intimacy with Thieves

Background

The Theyyasattha rule is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically within the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, the discipline for bhikkhunis, Pātimokkha item 72. In the Theravāda tradition, the Vinaya Pitaka is not only a set of rules for conduct but also a profound teaching on spiritual purity and the karmic fruit of action.

The background of this rule arose from real situations in the community of bhikkhunis during the Buddha’s time. The rule records a case involving traveling with thieves, especially when such people used their position to commit crimes. This was not an accidental event, but reflected an ethical issue in the society of that time: whether a bhikkhuni should associate closely with people lacking moral conduct, or even live together with them.

Main Content

The regulation in the Theyyasattha rule is intended to prevent bhikkhunis from having improper intimacy with thieves or people of base conduct. Specifically, if a bhikkhuni clearly knows that a person steals or takes the property of others, yet still maintains a close relationship such as eating together, sleeping in the same house, or traveling together, this is regarded as a violation.

The core of this rule lies in the concept “theyyasattha”: from theyyā, “thief,” and sattha, “companion” or “friend,” meaning “having a thief as a companion.” It is not because contact with wrongdoers is absolutely wrong, but because indiscriminate intimacy can:

First, stain the moral conduct of that bhikkhuni herself. When living and eating with people without moral discipline, one can easily be led astray. Second, it creates opportunities for impure conduct. The rule records that such bhikkhunis could be suspected, or even drawn into improper matters. Third, it diminishes the community’s trust in the Sangha.