Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga

The Nuns’ Rules and Their Analysis

The Bhikkhunī-vibhaṅga (“the analysis of the nuns’ rules”) contains the Monastic Code for nuns, the Bhikkhunī-pātimokkha, embedded in explanatory material. The Bhikkhunī-vibhaṅga is divided into seven chapters, each dealing with a separate class of rules, grouped according to the offense incurred in breaking them, with the exception of the <i lang='pi' translate='no'>adhikaraṇasamathadhamma</i> (“the principles for resolving legal issues”), which are principles to be applied rather than rules in the strict sense. Each rule together with its explanatory material forms an independent unit, a sub-chapter. These units begin with one or more origin stories, which tell the circumstances that led the Buddha to lay down a particular rule. The rule is then stated, followed by a word commentary that analyzes every significant word contained in the rule. After the word commentary follows a permutation series in which a variety of different scenarios are evaluated and offenses assigned as appropriate. At the end comes a non-offense clause, stating important exceptions to the rule, sometimes followed by individual case studies, in which the Buddha decides the offense incurred in ambiguous cases.

• PārājikaExpulsion5 ข้อ
• SaṅghādisesaSuspension10 ข้อ
• NissaggiyaPācittiyaRelinquishment with Confession12 ข้อ
• PācittiyaConfession94 ข้อ
• PāṭidesanīyaAcknowledgment2 ข้อ
• SekhiyaRules of Training2 ข้อ
• AdhikaraṇasamathaThe Settling of Legal Issues1 ข้อ