At one time when the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery, a male relative of a nun who was a pupil of Bhaddā Kāpilānī went from his own village to Sāvatthī on some business. Then, knowing that the Buddha had prohibited standing or talking alone with a man in the dark of the night without a lamp, she instead stood and talked alone with that man in a concealed place. The nuns of few desires complained and criticized her, “How could a nun do such a thing?” … “Is it true, monks, that a nun did this?” “It’s true, sir.” The Buddha rebuked her … “How could a nun do such a thing? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, the nuns should recite this training rule like this:

Final ruling ‘If a nun stands or talks alone with a man in a concealed place, she commits an offense entailing confession.’”

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