Bu Pc 3030. Sitting alone with a nun
Pāli / Sanskrit:Rahonisajja
A monk who, seeking privacy, sits in private with a nun must confess the offense.
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Patimokkha: The Offense of Sitting Alone with a Bhikkhunī
Background
This rule comes from the Bhikkhu Patimokkha (the monastic code recited by monks), belonging to the Pācittiya section — offenses requiring confession. It reflects the historical context in which early Buddhism was establishing a renunciant community (Sangha) comprising both male and female monastics. In order to protect the purity of the monastic precepts and the honor of the Dharma in the eyes of society, the Buddha laid down numerous rules governing interaction between bhikkhus (monks) and bhikkhunīs (nuns).
The rule "Rahonisajja" — "sitting alone in private with a female monastic" — arises from the principle of protecting the purity of conduct and the integrity of one's spiritual practice. This is not an offense that stems from an action necessarily constituting a transgression in itself, but from a situation that creates conditions for problems to arise and that undermines the moral character of the monastic community.
Main Content
This rule stipulates: if a bhikkhu deliberately seeks a secluded place to sit alone with a bhikkhunī, where there is at least one other person outside who could witness or intervene, he commits a Pācittiya offense. The crucial point is the intention to seek privacy (rahogata) and the absence of a witness or third party.
The offense is triggered when three factors converge: (1) a male and a female monastic are sitting together, (2) they actively seek or maintain a secluded situation, (3) there is no supervision of any kind. If a bhikkhu is aware of these conditions and continues nonetheless, he commits an offense requiring confession before the community.
An important distinction: this rule is not directed at "misconduct" (the term referring to sexual acts), but at lack of circumspection and the deliberate creation of conditions of danger in which misconduct may arise. This is how the Buddha safeguards the monastic precepts at the level of prevention, before actual problems emerge.
Practical Significance
This rule imparts two profound lessons to those who have gone forth into the homeless life.
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