Xct Mu Bi Pc 90Not Guiding Disciple After Ordination

Explanation of the Sahajīvinī-ananuggahaṇa Sutra

Rule Concerning Not Guiding a Female Co-resident After Ordination

Background

This sutra appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically in the Bhikkhunī-vibhaṅga, the section regulating offenses (saṅghādisesa) related to the community of female monastics (bhikkhunī). The historical context shows that this was a rule established by the Blessed Buddha to maintain discipline and protect the precepts of the monastic community.

In the early period of Buddhism, when the community of nuns (bhikkhunī-saṅgha) was founded, the Blessed Buddha laid down special regulations to ensure the purity, discipline, and sustainable development of the order. The rule "Not Guiding a Female Co-resident After Ordination" (Sahajīvinī-ananuggahaṇa) is one of the rules concerning the role of guidance (anuggaha) that a female preceptor (upajjhāyinī) or female teacher (ācārinī) must fulfill toward her disciple.

Main Content

This rule addresses a specific situation: when a female preceptor has a disciple who has gone forth (sahajīvinī, those who live together), that preceptor has the responsibility to guide, instruct, and care for the disciple in matters of practice, discipline, and the path. However, if the preceptor abandons or fails to fulfill these duties of guidance (ananuggahaṇa) after the disciple has formally gone forth and is counted as a full member of the community of nuns, this is considered a serious offense.

The text establishes that neglecting the responsibility to guide is not an isolated act, but affects the disciple's spiritual development and may harm the general discipline of the community of nuns. In particular, a preceptor who arbitrarily fails to guide a disciple after receiving her into the monastery acts contrary to the command of the Blessed Buddha concerning the support and instruction of new members of the community of nuns.