Bi Pc 5959. Not seeking the instruction
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ovādūpasaṅkamana
A nun who does not ask the Order of monks every half-month about the observance day and the going for instruction must confess the offense.
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Commentary on the Bhikkhunī Pācittiya 59: Not Seeking Instruction
Background
This rule originates from the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha, the Pācittiya section (offenses requiring confession), within the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition. Bhikkhunīs are those who have gone forth in accordance with the Buddha's teaching and have undertaken the full code of training rules within the monastic community. In the organizational structure of early Buddhist practice, bhikkhunīs depended in part upon the guidance of the male Saṅgha to complete their training.
The uposatha day — the observance day — occurs twice each lunar month, on the fifteenth and the tenth days (or, in modern reckoning, on the full moon and the new moon). It is a day of confession, communal assembly, and more disciplined practice of the training rules. "Going to seek instruction" (ovāda-saṅkamana) refers to the practice of bhikkhunīs actively going to meet with the male Saṅgha in order to receive guidance on conduct, to inquire about their practice, and to receive instruction in meditation and the Dhamma.
Main Content
Rule Bhikkhunī Pācittiya 59 (Ovādūpasaṅkamana) determines that: a bhikkhunī who does not actively seek instruction from the male Saṅgha on the uposatha day of each fortnight (half-month), regardless of any physical or mental reason, commits a Pācittiya offense — an offense requiring public confession before the Saṅgha.
The nature of the offense lies not in any particular action that has occurred, but in the neglect of an active responsibility. The bhikkhunī must herself "go to seek" (upasaṅkamati) — that is, she must present herself before the bhikkhus in order to receive instruction. This is not a mechanical or perfunctory requirement, but an expression of character in the spiritual life: humility, eagerness to learn, confidence in the Dhamma, and respect for the venerable system of the Saṅgha.
The term "fortnight" (ardha-māsa) is defined as occurring twice: on the full-moon day (pūrṇimā) and on the new-moon day (tiladdasa). If both occasions within a single month are missed, the offense is established.
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