Bi Pc 5353. Reviling the community
Pāli / Sanskrit:Gaṇaparibhāsana
A nun who in anger abuses an order must confess the offense.
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Gaṇaparibhāsana — Reviling the Sangha
Background
The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection of training rules that the Buddha Gotama established for the community of bhikkhunīs (nuns). The Gaṇaparibhāsana is recorded in the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha — the code of rules specific to female monastics. It falls within the section on offenses requiring confession (Pācittiya), transgressions for which the one who commits them must publicly acknowledge the fault before the community in order to be cleansed of it.
This rule arose from a specific incident within the nuns' community. A certain nun, in a moment of anger, reviled a group of other nuns — that is, she uttered abusive, insulting, or harshly critical words directed at a collective of bhikkhunīs. This action, even if stemming from a heated mind, is regarded as a transgression of the training rules because it gives rise to division within the Sangha (Saṅgha) — the sacred foundation of the Buddhist path.
Main Content
The offense of "reviling the Sangha" (gaṇaparibhāsana) is defined as occurring when a nun, on account of a mind of anger, utters words of abuse, disparagement, or attack directed at a group of bhikkhunīs, even if that group consists of only two persons. What is essential is the intention — there must be a deliberate impulse toward discord, and not an error or an inadvertent slip of speech.
This action is regarded as committing a Pācittiya offense (Pali: pācittiyā) — a category of transgression more serious than minor infractions (dukkaṭa), yet not so grave as to necessitate forfeiture of one's status as a bhikkhunī. The one who commits the offense is required to make confession (paṭidesanā) before the Sangha community at the Uposatha — the formal recitation ceremony held periodically every fortnight.
The process of repentance is not a mere punishment, but rather a mechanism of spiritual purification. Through public acknowledgment, the nun is given the opportunity to return to the correct path of practice, to restore the trust of the Sangha, and above all to cleanse her heart of any seeds of hatred or division.
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