Bi Pc 5050. Teaching worldly subjects
Pāli / Sanskrit:Tiracchānavijjāvācana
A nun who teaches pointless knowledge must confess the offense.
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Theravāda Collection on Monastic Law The Nuns’ Analysis
The chapter on offenses entailing confession The subchapter on galleries 50. Teaching worldly subjects
Origin story
At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery. At that time the nuns from the group of six were teaching worldly subjects. People complained and criticized them, “How can the nuns teach worldly subjects? They’re just like householders who indulge in worldly pleasures!”
The nuns heard the complaints of those people, and the nuns of few desires complained and criticized them, “How can the nuns from the group of six do this?” … “Is it true, monks, that those nuns do this?”
“It’s true, sir.”
The Buddha rebuked them … “How can the nuns from the group of six do this? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, the nuns should recite this training rule like this:
Final ruling
‘If a nun teaches worldly subjects, she commits an offense entailing confession.’”
Definitions
A: whoever … Nun: … The nun who has been given the full ordination in unanimity by both Sanghas through a legal procedure consisting of one motion and three announcements that is irreversible and fit to stand—this sort of nun is meant in this case. Worldly subjects: whatever is external to the Buddha’s Teaching, not connected with the goal. Teaches: if she teaches by the line, then for every line she commits an offense entailing confession. If she teaches by the syllable, then for every syllable she commits an offense entailing confession.
Non-offenses
There is no offense: if she teaches writing; if she teaches protective verses; if she teaches verses for the purpose of protection; if she is insane; if she is the first offender.
The tenth training rule is finished.
The fifth subchapter on galleries is finished.
The “…” is an abbreviation carried over from the Pāli original itself, called peyyāla. The early canon was memorized and recited, so passages repeated verbatim from a preceding discourse were commonly contracted to an elision mark rather than written out in full. Venerable Thích Minh Châu's translation preserves this convention. Some texts therefore look short — but that is the canonical form, not missing content or a truncated translation. The elided passages can be read in full in the preceding discourses of the same chapter.
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