Xct Mu Bi Pc 153Throwing Out a Monastic

Explanation of the Nikkaḍḍhana Sutra (Sutra on Expelling a Monastic)

Background

Nikkaḍḍhana, meaning “expulsion” or “driving out,” is a Pātimokkha rule belonging to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This text records regulations concerning the removal of a bhikkhu from the Sangha when that person violates grave rules. All these rules are built upon specific events that occurred during the Buddha’s lifetime, when the Buddha directly instructed the Sangha in discipline and ethics.

The Vinaya Piṭaka is a special collection within the Tipiṭaka, devoted to protecting the harmony of the monastic community and maintaining the purity of the Dharma. Regulations on expulsion are final instruments for protecting the Sangha from negative influences arising from members who do not observe the solemn precepts.

Main Content

According to the rule in Nikkaḍḍhana, a bhikkhu may be expelled from the Sangha when he violates one of the four Pārājika offenses, or when he repeatedly violates Saṃghādisesa offenses, offenses requiring formal communal rehabilitation. The four root offenses are: sexual intercourse, stealing property of value, killing a human being, and falsely claiming superhuman attainments.

When a bhikkhu commits one of these offenses, he cannot save himself through confession or any ritual. Instead, he is declared by the Sangha to be “expelled from the Sangha” (nikkaḍḍhita), meaning that he is no longer considered a member of the monastic community. This process of expulsion is not an arbitrary punishment, but an ethical measure carried out through formal acts (uposatha) solemnly organized with the participation of the Sangha.

The important point is that Nikkaḍḍhana is not a punishment but an acknowledgment that the person has removed himself from the Sangha by his own violating action. It is the natural ending of the relationship between the individual and the monastic community.