Bu Pc 6969. Living with an ejected monk
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ukkhittasambhoga
A monk who lives with a monk who has been ejected for holding the view that things declared as obstructive by the Buddha are not actually obstructive must confess the offense.
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Ukkhittasambhoga: Living with an Ejected Monk
Background
This rule appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, serving to protect the purity of the Sangha and to prevent the spread of wrong views within the monastic community. During the time of the Buddha, ejection (ukkhitta) from the Sangha was a serious penalty imposed upon monks who violated fundamental regulations or maintained views contrary to the Dhamma.
Specifically, this text concerns the case of a monk who was ejected because he maintained that those things the Buddha declared to be "obstructions" (parivāra) to spiritual practice — such as sensual desire, aversion, and delusion — are in fact not obstructions. This is a view that denies the fundamental principles of the Dhamma and poses a threat to the foundations of the Teaching and the Discipline.
Main Content
The Ukkhittasambhoga rule stipulates that if a monk remaining in the Sangha lives together with this ejected monk — sharing lodgings, daily activities, or establishing an Upajjhāya (preceptor) relationship — that monk must confess an offense (āpatti).
The reasoning behind this rule runs deep. Living together with an ejected monk carries the risk of: first, lending support to the wrong views of the ejected monk; second, weakening the Sangha's determination to uphold discipline; and third, potentially encouraging non-compliance with the decisions of the collective.
This rule does not pertain to a grave offense (pārājika) or a serious offense (saṅghādisesa), but rather to a "confessable offense" (pācittiya), indicating that this action is regarded as a lack of discernment or moral weakness rather than a fundamental transgression.
Practical Significance
On the surface, this text appears to be an administrative rule of the Sangha. However, its deeper significance lies in the principle of collective integrity. The Buddha did not permit monks to remain "neutral" — whoever lives within the Sangha must uphold the fundamental principles that the Sangha safeguards.
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