Bi Pc 7070. Not sending away a new disciple

Bhikkhunī Pācittiya 70: Not Providing for a Newly Ordained Female Disciple

Background

This rule appears in the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha (the Code of Discipline for Bhikkhunīs), in the Pācittiya section, concerning offenses requiring confession. It is among the most detailed regulations in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, reflecting the need to properly manage and protect female disciples who are newly entered into the monastic community.

During the time when the Buddha was active, the Bhikkhunī community was established later than the Bhikkhu community, and acting responsibly toward those newly received into a discipline was of the utmost importance. This rule aims to ensure that a bhikkhunī takes responsibility for teaching, guiding, and caring for her disciple throughout the initial period, rather than leaving her without genuine support.

Main Content

This rule stipulates that: if a bhikkhunī accepts responsibility for receiving (avūpakāsana) — meaning a newly admitted disciple is fully received under her guidance — then that bhikkhunī must continue to care for, educate, and guide that disciple. Specifically, if a bhikkhunī designates another newly ordained bhikkhunī as "my disciple" (sāvikā), but thereafter fails to take up the responsibility of teaching her, or fails to entrust that disciple to a qualified teacher who can provide further support, this constitutes a Pācittiya offense.

The word "sahajīvinī" (one who lives together with another) indicates that the teacher-disciple relationship is a living bond, requiring actual presence, support, and training. Without a proper handover or corresponding care, it is regarded as a neglect of responsibility.

A Pācittiya offense (Pāli: pācittiyaṃ) is among the lightest of the three minor categories of offenses in the Bhikkhunī Vinaya, requiring public confession before another bhikkhunī. Its purpose is not to punish, but to restore purity of mind and to maintain communal discipline.