Xct Mu Bu Pm Pc 28Sitting in Private

Explanation of the Rahonisajja Rule (Sitting in Private)

Background

The Rahonisajja rule belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition and is recorded among the disciplinary rules (Pātimokkha) for monastics. This rule appears in the context of the Buddha establishing training regulations to protect purity of conduct and build public trust in monastics.

According to the Pāli tradition, these rules are not arbitrary restrictions, but guidance from the Buddha based on worldly realities and human psychology. For female monastics to sit privately with men in places with few witnesses could lead to suspicion, slander, or in reality to conduct that compromises chastity. Therefore, the Buddha issued this rule as a preventive measure.

Main Content

The Rahonisajja rule states that monastics should not sit privately with men, especially in secluded places or places with few witnesses. This rule is one of the important Pācittiya offenses, faults requiring confession, for female monastics.

Specifically, the act is considered an offense if the conditions are met: a female monastic and a man, whether a male monastic or an ordinary man, sit privately in a place that is not public for a period long enough that impropriety could occur. This is not an absolute rule forbidding interaction between men and women, but a preventive rule concerning situations that may lead to danger or slander.

This rule reflects a basic principle in the Vinaya: not only to avoid wrong actions, but also to avoid circumstances that may lead to wrong actions. This is the concept of “parinissaggika,” complete relinquishment, or at least keeping away from circumstances in which faults are easily committed.

Practical Meaning

The Rahonisajja rule should not be understood simply as discrimination or distrust of integrity.