Bi Pc 123123. Dismissing a nun during almsround

Scripture Commentary: Uyyojana (Rule 123 – Bhikkhunī Vinaya)

Background

The Uyyojana belongs to the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha, the code of training rules established specifically for female monastics in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This code is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka and reflects the wisdom of the Buddha in guiding the community of monks and nuns to maintain ethical purity in their daily activities.

The context of this rule concerns the practice of almsround—the going forth of nuns to collect food. In early Buddhism, nuns would regularly go out for piṇḍapāta, the almsround, thereby providing laypeople with an opportunity to generate merit. However, this practice also created occasions that could lead to improper conduct in the absence of mindful restraint. This rule establishes a training precept aimed at preventing unwholesome behavior within that context.

Main Content

According to the summary of this rule, the case regulated is as follows: a nun invites another nun to go on almsround together, but then, with the intention of engaging in conduct inconsistent with the Vinaya, she asks the other to leave the group. This action is considered an offense (pācittiya) requiring confession by the offending nun.

This is classified as a pācittiya violation—a category of offense that requires acknowledgment of the transgression before another nun. The nature of the wrongdoing does not lie in going on almsround or in declining to do so, but in the intention concealed behind the act: the nun deliberately sends the other away in order to create conditions for improper conduct. This constitutes a violation of the spirit of the monastic life, as it reflects a lack of mindfulness and an exploitation of another person.

This rule also reflects the Vinaya principle that nuns should go on almsround in groups or with a companion, which helps maintain mutual vigilance (upadhamma) and protects both themselves and the community from dangerous or inappropriate situations.