Bi Pc 146146. Not giving up a bad view
Pāli / Sanskrit:Antarāyika
A nun who says that things declared as obstructive by the Buddha are not actually obstructive must confess the offense.
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Commentary on Bhikkhunī Pācittiya 146: Not Giving Up a Wrong View
Background
Bhikkhunī Pācittiya 146 belongs to the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha (Pali Prātimokṣa — the code of monastic discipline), in the Pācittiya section, recording an essential rule of training within the early Community of Nuns. The background of this rule arises from actual situations within the bhikkhunī community, in which certain nuns refused to accept the Buddha's teachings concerning "obstructive things" (antarāyika — those things that obstruct progress in morality and meditation).
In the Theravāda tradition, the Buddha clearly identified certain restrictions and prohibitions for the purpose of safeguarding the purity of the monastic community. Anyone — even a monastic practitioner — who deliberately denied these teachings and asserted that what the Buddha had declared to be "obstructive" was in fact not obstructive would be in violation of the code of conduct.
Main Content
This rule stipulates that: if any bhikkhunī declares that those things the Buddha has proclaimed to be "obstructive to moral progress" (antarāyika-dhammā) are in fact not obstructive, that person commits a Pācittiya offense and must confess the transgression before the monastic community.
"Obstructive things" in this context include serious ethical violations — such as Pārājika offenses (offenses entailing expulsion from the bhikkhunī life) or wrongful actions that cause harm to the power of concentration and the faculty of wisdom. When a bhikkhunī publicly denies the "obstructive" nature of such things, she not only acts contrary to the Buddha's instruction, but also undermines faith and discipline within the monastic community.
The crucial point is the deliberate intention to deny the teaching. This offense does not arise from inadvertence or theological disagreement, but from a determined rejection of the Buddha's authority of discernment. Although it is a Pācittiya offense (less grave than Pārājika), it still requires the bhikkhunī to publicly confess her transgression before the monastic community according to the prescribed ceremonial procedures, and to commit to not repeating the offense.
Practical Significance
Bhikkhunī Pācittiya 146 reveals two profound lessons.
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