Xct Mu Bu Vb As 5Further Penalty

Exposition of the Tassapāpiyasikā Sutta (Further Penalty)

Background

The Tassapāpiyasikā Sutta (Further Penalty) is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the monastic disciplinary system of Theravāda Buddhism. This section belongs to the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga (Explanation of the Rules for Bhikkhunīs), an important division of the Vinaya Piṭaka. The discourse records disputes or offenses in the community of female monastics, with the purpose of establishing additional penalties to maintain discipline and purity in the Sangha.

The historical background shows that the Buddha allowed Ānanda to establish additional rules for bhikkhunīs, because they were newly entered into the path and required stricter disciplinary management than male monastics. Therefore, the Vinaya for bhikkhunīs contains detailed provisions and heavier penalties in order to protect both the dignity of individual character and that of the religious community.

Main Content

The Tassapāpiyasikā Sutta deals with cases of offenses that require further penalty beyond the basic penalty already prescribed. According to the Theravāda Vinaya tradition, when a bhikkhunī commits a fault, the penalty may include: admonition (tajjanīya), prohibition from speaking with the community (paṭisāranīya), or other penalties depending on the seriousness of the offense.

Tassapāpiyasikā refers to situations in which the initial penalty is not enough to prevent wrongful conduct or not enough to restore the dignity of the injured person and the community. In such cases, the Sangha, that is, the whole community of bhikkhus, must hold a formal meeting (Sangha-sannipatī) to apply additional penalties.

These additional penalties may include extending the period of admonition, longer isolation, or, in serious cases, requiring the bhikkhunī to perform humble tasks as penance. The purpose is not forced expulsion from the Sangha, but education and correction of conduct through constructive discipline.