Bi Pj 66. The training rule on concealing an expulsion offense
Pāli / Sanskrit:Vajjappaṭicchādikā
A nun who does not take any action when she knows that another nun has committed an offense entailing expulsion is expelled. This is the first among a large of rules in which the notorious nun Thullanandā was the original offender. Either Thullanandā was an exceptionally bad nun or she is a literary stand-in for the real offenders.
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Vajjappaṭicchādikā
Vinaya Piṭaka – The Training Rule on Concealing an Offense Worthy of Expulsion
Background
The Vajjappaṭicchādikā (the training rule on concealing an offense worthy of expulsion) is the sixth training rule in the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha — the code of ethics established specifically for fully ordained Buddhist nuns in the Theravāda tradition. According to the record in the Vinaya Piṭaka, this rule was established following an incident involving Thullanandā, the bhikkhunī renowned for her transgressions and disregard for the Buddha's instructions.
Thullanandā appears numerous times throughout the bhikkhunī rules, having caused considerable difficulty for the Sangha. She stands as a symbol of self-will, irresponsibility, and the concealment of one's own wrongdoing as well as that of others. This incident reflects the practical realities faced by the community of female monastics during the time of the Buddha, when the principles governing the Sangha required clear and rigorous definition.
Principal Content
The Vajjappaṭicchādikā rule stipulates that a fully ordained Buddhist nun (bhikkhunī) commits an offense worthy of expulsion if, knowing clearly that another bhikkhunī has committed a pārājika act — an offense of the highest gravity, comprising five actions: sexual intercourse, theft, killing, and falsely claiming supernormal powers — she nevertheless takes no action whatsoever to address, report, or rebuke the matter.
The essential aspect of this rule lies in its commitment to collective purity. To conceal, ignore, or condone the grave transgressions of one's fellow monastics is not an act of compassion but of negligence. It undermines the trust of the Sangha and erodes the spirit of moral self-governance. Pārājika represents the highest category of offense; there is no means of purification or rehabilitation. A bhikkhunī who commits a pārājika is automatically expelled from the Sangha. Therefore, to conceal or fail to report such a matter is to become complicit in moral corruption.
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