Bi Pc 3939. Wandering during the rainy season
Pāli / Sanskrit:Antovassa
A nun who goes wandering during the rainy season must confess the offense.
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Antovassa Sutta – The Rule Concerning Wandering During the Rains Retreat
Background
The Bhikkhunī Vinaya was compiled to regulate the communal life of female monastics within the Buddhist Sangha. The Antovassa — also known as the rule concerning "wandering during the rains retreat" — arises from the historical context in which the Buddha was establishing guidelines for the monastic community of nuns.
The Rains Retreat (Vassa) is a particularly significant period in Theravāda Buddhist life. According to Theravāda tradition, from approximately the seventh to the tenth month of the lunar calendar (roughly July through October in Southeast Asia), monastics are encouraged to remain in one place in order to focus on practice and to avoid causing harm to small living beings during this period of intensive growth and reproduction. This is an important time for concentrated cultivation — known as Āvāsa Vassa, the dwelling-in-place during Vassa.
However, some nuns may have needs or desires to travel and wander during this period. The Antovassa constitutes the regulations governing this type of conduct and its legal consequences within the Sangha.
Main Content
According to the Pātimokkha — the fundamental code of discipline for nuns — if a bhikkhunī wanders (antovassa) throughout the Rains Retreat without a legitimate reason or without having obtained permission from the Sangha, she must acknowledge this offense as a Pācittiya — one of the categories of offenses requiring public confession before the community of nuns.
Specifically, this rule is intended to ensure that nuns do not use the Vassa period as an occasion to abandon collective discipline. Remaining in one place during the Rains Retreat is not a punishment, but rather an opportunity for the following:
First, to concentrate on meditation and the study of the Dharma. Second, to preserve the unity and discipline of the Sangha. Third, to respect ecological principles — refraining from harming living beings during this sensitive season.
If a nun must depart from her residence due to illness, necessary Dharma study, or having received permission from the Sangha, such departure is considered legitimate.
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