Dhamma Principles › Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga: Not Travelling Alone Through Danger, Not Staying Put Forever
Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga: Not Travelling Alone Through Danger, Not Staying Put Forever
Everyday life

Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga: Not Travelling Alone Through Danger, Not Staying Put Forever

Antoraṭṭhe sāsaṅkasammate sappaṭibhaye asatthikā cārikaṃ careyya

Four rules about travel: not going without a caravan on roads known to be dangerous, within the kingdom or beyond it; not wandering during the rains; and, once the rains are over, not staying in the same place all year until the world shrinks.

6 points

In the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, Vinaya Piṭaka volume 3, the Pācittiya section, Tuvaṭṭavagga rules 7 to 10 form a set about travel. All four arose from different incidents but rest on the same principle: travel safely, and travel at the right time.

The first two arose when bhikkhunīs wandered without a caravan for company through places known to be risky and dangerous, and were assaulted by scoundrels — one rule for roads within the kingdom, one for roads outside it. The Vinaya defines "risky" as a road where the haunts of thieves can be seen, and "dangerous" as a road where people killed, robbed or beaten by thieves can be seen.

The third rule forbids wandering during the rains, because people complained that it trampled fresh green grass and brought destruction on a great many small creatures. The fourth is the reverse: having spent the rains, they did not set out at all, and people complained that "the directions are cramped and as if dark for these bhikkhunīs". So the Buddha laid down that they should travel at least five or six leagues.

  1. 1

    A road known to be dangerous is not one to walk alone Antoraṭṭhe sāsaṅkasammate sappaṭibhaye asatthikā cārikaṃ careyya

    Bhikkhunīs with no caravan for company wandered through places known to be risky and dangerous within the kingdom, and were assaulted by scoundrels. The Buddha reproved them and made it a pācittiya.

    Applying it in daily life

    If you have to go somewhere isolated or come home late, bring someone along or share your location with someone you trust.

  2. 2

    Crossing borders calls for company even more Tiroraṭṭhe sāsaṅkasammate sappaṭibhaye

    The next rule covers the same conduct on roads outside the kingdom — the realm of another king, beyond the one where she lives. The Vinaya keeps it as a separate rule, since it is a place where no one knows you and help is harder to call on.

    Applying it in daily life

    Travelling somewhere unfamiliar, arrange emergency contacts and lodging in advance rather than working it out on arrival.

  3. 3

    Some seasons are for staying put Antovassaṃ cārikaṃ careyya

    Bhikkhunīs wandered during the rains, and people complained that it trampled fresh green grass and brought destruction on a great many small creatures. The Buddha forbade it, with exemptions for necessary business and for danger.

    Applying it in daily life

    There are times of year to stay put and finish what you have started; frequent travel in that stretch costs more than it gains.

  4. 4

    Stay in one place all year and the directions go dark Vassaṃ vutthā cārikaṃ na pakkameyya antamaso chappañcayojanānipi

    Bhikkhunīs stayed in Rājagaha through the rains, the cold season and the hot season alike. People complained that the directions were cramped and as if dark for them. The Buddha laid down that having spent the rains and not setting out on tour, even for as little as five or six leagues, is a pācittiya.

    Applying it in daily life

    If this year you haven't been anywhere new or met a new circle of people, arrange one such occasion before your view quietly narrows.

  5. 5

    Go with a group — travel itself is not forbidden Satthena saha gacchati

    In the non-offence clauses of the first two rules, the Buddha states that going along with a caravan, or going where it is safe and no danger is present, is not an offence. The rule does not forbid travelling; it sets the conditions for travelling safely.

    Applying it in daily life

    When setting safety rules at work or at home, say how something may be done rather than only forbidding it.

  6. 6

    No companion to be found is no offence Pariyesitvā dutiyikaṃ bhikkhuniṃ na labhati

    In the non-offence clauses of the tenth rule, the Buddha states that when there is danger, when one has looked for a companion bhikkhunī and not found one, or when one is ill, there is no offence. The travel rules do not demand what cannot actually be done.

    Applying it in daily life

    Rules you set for yourself need clear exemptions, so that a day you couldn't manage doesn't become a day you feel you failed.

Try it in daily life

These four rules read very directly: go with company where it is dangerous, and don't stay in one place until you can no longer see anything else.

The first is not a ban on travel but on travelling alone on roads "known" to be dangerous. That word matters: it means foreseeable risk, not unforeseeable misfortune. Checking the route, telling someone at home where you are going, and bringing company when the place is isolated or the hour is late is the same principle in modern words.

The last rule speaks to a different condition: staying put so long that your world narrows without your noticing. The complaint that the directions had grown dark is exact. People who never leave where they are tend to think what they can see is all there is.

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