Mpt Pc 10Annoyance

Explanation of the Vilekhana Sutra (Harassment)

Background

The Vilekhana Sutra is found in the Pātimokkha section of the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically among the disciplinary rules for bhikkhunīs. It records disciplinary regulations for Buddhist nuns in the Theravāda tradition. This text was formulated after the Buddha allowed the establishment of the community of nuns, around the fifth or sixth year of his teaching career.

The background of the Vilekhana Sutra concerns situations that occurred in the Kajaṅgala region, where nuns engaged in conduct that harassed, disturbed, or deliberately caused irritation to one another. When the Buddha learned of these situations, he issued a specific regulation to prevent negative conduct that affected the solitude, purity, and harmony of the Sangha.

Main Content

The Vilekhana Sutra prescribes that deliberately “harassing” (vilekhana) or disturbing another nun is a violation. This conduct is understood as gestures, words, or actions intended to cause annoyance, irritation, or disruption of another person’s concentration in practice.

Specifically, this text forbids actions such as admonishing in an improper way, creating tension in the community, or deliberately creating unfavorable situations for the practice of fellow monastics. These actions, though they may appear minor, break one of the important foundations of the path of practice: harmony (samavatti).

The text does not distinguish the severity of the conduct, but focuses on the intention (cetanā) behind it. If a nun acts deliberately and with planning in order to cause trouble, that is a violation of the ethical standards of a monastic.

Practical Meaning

The Vilekhana Sutra teaches a profound lesson about carefulness in speech and action. In the community of practice, each individual has the responsibility to protect the shared environment of practice.