Bi Pc 147147. Living with an ejected nun
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ukkhittasambhoga
A nun who lives with a nun who has been ejected for holding the view that things declared as obstructive by the Buddha are not actually obstructive must confess the offense.
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Commentary on the Ukkhittasambhoga (Bi Pc 147)
Living Together with an Ejected Nun
Background
The Ukkhittasambhoga belongs to the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha (the code of rules for nuns), which is the portion of the Vinaya Piṭaka that sets forth the rules specifically governing all nuns within the traditional Buddhist Saṅgha. Whenever the Blessed One taught the Dhamma and established rules of training, all of it was intended to protect the Saṅgha from schism and to guide practitioners step by step toward Nirvana.
The case in this rule arises from a particular circumstance: a nun had been ejected from the Saṅgha (ukkhitta) on account of holding a wrong view. Specifically, she maintained that those things which the Blessed One had declared to be obstructions (āvaraṇa) on the path of practice are not in fact obstructions. This constitutes a serious distortion of the meaning of the Dhamma, since it directly denies the teaching of the Buddha. As a result, she was removed from the community through a formal procedure.
The question that arises is: if another nun continues to live together with this ejected person, what penalty must she bear?
Main Content
According to the rules established by the Blessed One, any nun who lives in communion (sambhoga) with a nun who has been ejected must confess her offense (pāṭidesanīya). This is not an offense of a directly harmful action but rather an offense by association — the very act of maintaining a relationship of communal living with the ejected person constitutes the transgression.
The deeper reason lies in the principle of protecting the Saṅgha. When the Buddha ejects a person, it means that the community has formally separated itself from that individual. Any action that maintains communion with the ejected person — even something as simple as sharing a meal or dwelling in the same place — has the potential to undermine the decision of the Saṅgha and indirectly to encourage an attitude of non-compliance with the community's ruling.
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