Bi Pc 108108. Speaking evasively
Pāli / Sanskrit:Aññavādaka
A nun who speaks evasively or remains silent when questioned by the Order must confess the offense.
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Aññavādaka: Speaking Evasively When Questioned
Background
The Aññavādaka is found within the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha (the Vinaya for female monastics), an important section of the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. In the early period of the Saṅgha, the Blessed One established rules of conduct to protect the purity, transparency, and order of the community of female monastics.
This rule arose from specific historical events in which certain bhikkhunīs had transgressed the regulations of the religious community, yet when questioned by the Saṅgha in order to clarify the matter, they responded evasively or maintained silence. Such conduct undermined the transparency and fairness of the adjudication process; therefore, the Blessed One promulgated the Aññavādaka rule so as to require bhikkhunīs to give honest testimony when formally questioned.
Main Content
In accordance with the spirit of the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka, when a bhikkhunī is questioned by the Saṅgha regarding conduct believed to constitute a transgression—or any matter pertaining to monastic practice—she must respond honestly and directly. Should a bhikkhunī choose to speak evasively (aññavādaka)—that is, to give vague, unclear, or open-ended answers—or to remain silent when questioned, this conduct in itself constitutes a transgression (Pācittiya or Saṅghādisesa, depending on the degree of severity).
What is the reason for this? Because honesty (sacca) and transparency (vijjati) are the very foundation of the Buddhist Saṅgha. Those who train in the Five Precepts as well as the more profound precepts must all uphold the absolute principle of not speaking falsehood. To speak evasively or to remain silent when formally questioned is a subtle form of falsehood, for it aims to conceal the truth or to create confusion.
It is important to note that this rule does not apply to casual, ordinary questions. It applies only when a bhikkhunī is formally questioned by the Saṅgha in the course of a judicial proceeding or investigation into a suspected transgression.
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