Bi Pc 155155. Intentionally making a nun anxious
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sañcicca
A nun who intentionally makes another nun anxious must confess the offense.
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Commentary on Bhikkhunī Pācittiya 155: Intentionally Causing Distress to a Bhikkhunī
Background
Bhikkhunī Pācittiya 155 belongs to the Pātimokkha (the code of training rules) within the Vinaya Piṭaka—the collection of precepts governing members of the Saṅgha. In the Theravāda tradition, the Pātimokkha forms the foundation of ordination and defines the transgressions that bhikkhunīs must refrain from.
This rule arose from a historical context in which the Buddha and his female disciples discovered that certain members of the bhikkhunī community were deliberately causing mental agitation and emotional disturbance to others. Such conduct—though it may appear minor compared to other violations—had the potential to undermine harmony (saṅgha-bheda) within the community of practice and to erode the collective spirit of training.
Accordingly, the Buddha established this prohibition in order to protect the mental well-being and harmony of the bhikkhunī community—those who had renounced household life in pursuit of liberation.
Principal Content
Bhikkhunī Pācittiya 155 states: Any bhikkhunī who intentionally (sañcicca) causes another bhikkhunī to become distressed or unsettled (okuppati) must confess that offense. This act is classified as a Pācittiya (巴提提亞)—a category of transgression requiring confession and acknowledgment of fault before the community.
The word "sañcicca" (intentionally) is the essential element. The prohibition applies only when the act is performed with a specific intention, and not to unintended misfortunes. The expression "okuppati"—to cause agitation, to disturb—does not necessarily entail physical harm or bodily injury; it pertains primarily to the mental and psychological disturbance of the other person.
This offense does not rank among the more serious violations (such as Saṅghādisesa or Pārājika), yet it is nonetheless recorded as conduct unbecoming of one who has entered the religious life. The reason is this: if bhikkhunīs deliberately cause disturbance to one another, the community will be unable to sustain the compassion (karuṇā) and peace (santi) that are essential to the practice of the path.
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