Bi Np 2121. Becoming the owner of money
Pāli / Sanskrit:Rūpiya
A nun who receives money must relinquish it and confess the offense.
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Sutta Rūpiya (Money)
Commentary on Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha Nirvvaraṇa Pācittiya 21
Background
In the Vinaya Piṭaka of Theravāda Buddhism, the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha — the code of ethical conduct for female monastics — sets out in detail the various offenses and their corresponding degrees of confession and expiation. The Sutta Rūpiya belongs to the category of Nirvvaraṇa Pācittiya offenses, that is, transgressions requiring confession and absolution by declaring them before a witness assembly (the community of monastics).
The historical context of this sutta reflects the situation of the early Buddhist Saṅgha, in which bhikkhunīs needed to avoid dangers associated with economic matters and personal reputation. The acceptance of money is forbidden because it violates the principle of "non-use of money" (mica-nissaya) — one of the fundamental rules of the monastic life.
Main Content
According to Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha Nirvvaraṇa Pācittiya 21, if a bhikkhunī accepts money in any form whatsoever — whether coins, silver, or any object of equivalent value — she commits a Pācittiya offense. This is not the most serious category of offense (Saṅghādisesa or Pārājika), but it requires her to undertake two steps of expiation.
First, she must completely relinquish the money she has accepted. This relinquishment is not a private act; it must be performed before the community of bhikkhunīs (the community of female monastics). The money may be handed over to a layperson (one who is not a monastic) or placed into the Saṅgha's fund, according to the particular circumstances.
Second, she must confess the offense before at least two other bhikkhunīs (or before the entire community if necessary, depending on the ethical standards of the Saṅgha). This confession expresses genuine remorse and the resolve not to repeat the transgression. After the confession, the offense is absolved; the bhikkhunī is neither expelled nor subjected to any other disciplinary measure.
The Sutta Rūpiya emphasizes that the acceptance of money constitutes an offense from the moment of receiving it, not from the moment of using it.
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