Suspension 11

Origin Story

At that time, the Buddha was in Rājagaha on Vulture’s peak. Then the World-honored One for this reason gathered the bhikkhu sangha, and said to the bhikkhus: “From now on, I’ll lay down a precept for the bhikkhunīs, and state the 10 principles: … So that the true dhamma may last long. Someone wishing to recite the precept should recite like this:

Final Ruling

‘If the bhikkhunī has a faction of other bhikkhunīs, one, two, three, or up to innumerably many, and if they say to the bhikkhunīs: “Venerable sisters, don’t admonish this bhikkhunī. This bhikkhunī is a bhikkhunī who speaks the dhamma and the vinaya. Our minds delight in what this bhikkhunī says, and we approve of it,” the bhikkhunīs should tell them: “Venerable sisters, don’t say this: ‘This bhikkhunī is a bhikkhunī who speaks the dhamma and the vinaya. Our minds delight in what this bhikkhunī says, and we approve of it.’ Why? What this bhikkhunī says is not the dhamma and the vinaya. Venerable sisters, don’t wish to split and destroy the sangha in harmony, you should delight in a sangha in harmony. Venerable sisters, when you’re in harmony with the sangha, happy, and without quarreling, training under one teacher, mixing like water and milk, you’ll grow in the Buddha’s dhamma and live comfortably.” If when the bhikkhunīs admonish those bhikkhunīs, they hold firmly on to it and don’t give it up, the bhikkhunīs should admonish them three times to give up this matter. If they give it up by the third time, it’s fine. If not, those bhikkhunīs commit an offense that should be given up after three admonishments, a saṅghādisesa.’” (End of the 11th rule.)

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