Bu Pc 2727. Traveling with a nun
Pāli / Sanskrit:Saṁvidhāna
A monk who travels on a country road by arrangement with a nun must confess the offense.
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Sutta Commentary: A Monk Traveling Together with a Nun
Background
This rule is recorded in the Pāli Vinaya, specifically in the Bhikkhu Pātimokkha—the collection of fundamental disciplinary regulations that every ordained monk must observe. During the time of the Buddha, the community of the Samaṇa Saṅgha comprised two main branches: Bhikkhu (male monastics) and Bhikkhunī (female monastics, or nuns).
This regulation arose in the context of the early monastic community, when practitioners had to travel along rural roads in order to spread the Dharma or carry out matters of monastic duty. However, a male monk and a nun traveling together by prior arrangement or agreement could give rise to misunderstanding among the lay community and cast a shadow over the virtue of both. Therefore, the Buddha established this rule to protect the good name of both and to maintain the purity of the Saṅgha.
The Pāli word Saṁvidhāna carries the meaning of "agreement" or "prior arrangement," indicating clearly that the act in question is not accidental but involves preparation or mutual consent between the two parties.
Main Content
According to the regulation in Bu Pc 27, if a Bhikkhu (male monk) travels along a country road (raṭṭhacārikāya) by prior agreement or arrangement with a Bhikkhunī (nun), that monk commits a Pācittiya offense—a fault requiring public confession.
Pācittiya is a class of offense more serious than Dukkaṭa (minor offenses) but less serious than Saṅghādisesa (offenses requiring a formal Saṅgha proceeding). One who commits a Pācittiya offense must confess it openly before the Saṅgha or before fellow monastics.
The crucial point in this rule lies in the phrase "by agreement" (saṁvidhāna). This means that if the two happen to meet on the road by chance, or are simply traveling in the same direction without any prior arrangement, then this rule does not apply. However, if there has been preparation or agreement—even if the purpose is to discuss the Dharma or for some other reason—the offense still occurs.
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