Bi Pc 6060. Getting medical treatment from a man
Pāli / Sanskrit:Pasākhejāta
A nun who is alone with a man and gets treatment from him on the thigh must confess the offense.
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Commentary on Bhikkhunī Pācittiya 60: Restraint in Receiving Medical Treatment
Background
The Vinaya Piṭaka—the Basket of Discipline—is the normative body of literature for the Buddhist monastic community, pertaining specifically to monks and nuns. Within it, the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha (the Code of Discipline for nuns) sets forth the rules of restraint intended to protect the well-being and trustworthiness of the Buddhist community.
The rule known as Pasākhejāta (Bhikkhunī Pācittiya 60) arose from a specific incident in which a nun was alone with a man and received medical treatment from him on the thigh. This occurrence, though arising from a legitimate medical need, created a situation at risk of harming the reputation of the Buddhist community and giving rise to suspicion among others. The Blessed One therefore established this rule to guide the nuns in regulating their own conduct, helping them to maintain the orientation of their practice and to safeguard the purity of the bhikkhunī Sangha.
Main Content
This rule stipulates that if a nun is alone—that is, without any witness—together with a man, and allows him to administer medical treatment to her thigh, such conduct constitutes a Pācittiya (an offense of expiation), a class of transgression requiring confession before the monastic community or before a fellow nun.
This prohibition is not directed toward condemning the seeking of medical treatment—for the Dharma acknowledges the importance of bodily health—but rather toward avoiding situations that are easily misunderstood or that offend the standards of moral conduct. The presence of a witness, and in particular of other nuns, both protects the dignity of the patient and safeguards the purity of the one administering treatment, while preventing any misgivings on the part of the community.
This rule also serves to limit excessive physical closeness between bhikkhunīs and men in private settings, thereby upholding the general principle governing boundaries of interaction between the sexes within the Theravāda Buddhist monastic context.
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