Nissaya in Vinaya Pitaka

Life at an āvāsa with a teacher: Nissaya
The Buddha arranged for a period of apprenticeship—called nissaya, or

dependence—in which every newly ordained bhikkhu must train under the
guidance of an experienced bhikkhu for at least five years before he can be
considered competent to look after himself. This apprenticeship has formed the
human context in which the practice of the Buddha’s teachings has been passed
down for the past 26 centuries.
Dependence is of two sorts: dependence on one’s preceptor (upajjhāya) and

dependence on a teacher (ācariya). The relationships are similar—and in many
details, identical—so the following discussion will use the word mentor to cover
both preceptor and teacher wherever the pattern applies to both, and will
distinguish them only where the patterns differ.
Choosing a preceptor-teacher/mentor
Before ordination, one must choose a bhikkhu to act as one’s preceptor. The
Mahāvagga gives a long list of qualifications a bhikkhu must meet before he can
act as a preceptor. A bhikkhu who lacks the minimal qualifications incurs a
dukkaṭa if he acts as a preceptor; a bhikkhu who meets the minimal but lacks the
ideal qualifications is not an ideal person to give guidance, but he incurs no penalty
in doing so.
The ideal qualifications:
The preceptor should have an arahant’s virtue, concentration, discernment, release,

and knowledge and vision of release; and should be able to train another person to
the same level of attainment. He should have faith, a sense of shame, a sense of
compunction, persistence in the practice, and quick mindfulness. He should be free
of heavy and light offenses, and be possessed of right view.
He should be competent to tend to a sick pupil or to find someone who will tend to
him, and to dispel dissatisfaction in a pupil who wants to leave the celibate life.
The Mahāvagga does not say outright that these are ideal, as opposed to minimal,
qualifications, but the Commentary offers as proof the fact that one of a pupil’s
duties is to try to allay any dissatisfaction that may arise in his preceptor. If all
preceptors were arahants, no case of this sort would ever arise and there would be
no need to mention it. Thus the Commentary concludes that arahantship, although
ideal in a preceptor, is not necessary.
The minimum qualifications:
The preceptor must be learned and competent. According to the Commentary, this
means that he knows enough of the Dhamma and Vinaya to govern a following
and is competent enough to know what is and is not an offense. He must also be
competent enough to allay, in line with the Dhamma, any anxiety that has arisen in
his pupil; must know what is and is not an offense, what is a light offense, what is
a heavy offense, and how an offense may be removed.
He must have detailed knowledge of both Pāṭimokkhas and be able to train the
pupil in the bhikkhus’ customs, in the basic rules of the pure life, the higher
Dhamma, and the higher Vinaya. He must be able, in line with the Dhamma, to pry
his pupil away from a wrong view or to find someone who will help pry him away.
And the most basic requirement he must have been ordained as a bhikkhu for ten
years or more. If, for some reason, the new bhikkhu lives in a separate monastery
from his preceptor, he must take dependence under a teacher, whose qualifications
are precisely the same as those for a preceptor. Because the Mahāvagga gives a
dukkaṭa for taking dependence under an unconscientiously bhikkhu, the new
bhikkhu is allowed four to five days to observe his potential teacher’s conduct
before taking dependence under him.
Taking dependence
Prior to his ordination and usually, as part of the ceremony itself—the candidate
must make a formal request for dependence from his preceptor. The procedure is
as follows: Arranging his upper robe over his left shoulder, leaving his right
shoulder bare, he bows down to the preceptor and then, kneeling with his hands
palm-to-palm over his heart, repeats the following passage three times:
Upajjhāyo me bhante hohi, which means, “Venerable sir, be my preceptor.” If the
preceptor responds with any of these words sāhu (very well), lahu (certainly),
opāyikaṁ (all right), paṭirūpaṁ (it is proper), or pāsādikena sampādehi (attain
consummation (in the practice) in an amicable way)—the dependence has taken
hold.
Mahavagga adds that if the preceptor indicates any of these meanings by gesture,
that also counts; and according to the Commentary, the same holds true if he
makes any equivalent statement. If, after his ordination, the new bhikkhu needs to
request dependence from a teacher, the procedure is the same, except that the
request he makes three times is this: Ācariyo me bhante hohi; āyasmato nissāya
vacchāmi, which means, “Venerable sir, be my teacher; I will live in dependence
on you.”
Duties
The Mahāvagga states that a pupil should regard his mentor as a father; and the
mentor, the pupil as his son. It then goes on to delineate this relationship as a set of
reciprocal duties. The pupil’s duties to his mentor. The pupil’s duties to his mentor
fall into the following five categories:
1. Attending to the mentor’s personal needs.
2. Assisting the mentor in any problems he may have with regard to the Dhamma
and Vinaya.
3. Washing, making, and dyeing the mentor’s robes.
4. Showing loyalty and respect for the mentor.
5. Caring for the mentor when he falls ill, not leaving him until he either recovers
or passes away.
According to the Commentary, a pupil is freed from these duties when he is ill.
Otherwise, he should observe all the above duties to his preceptor as long as he is
in dependence on him. As for the duties to one’s teacher, the Commentary lists
four types of teachers:
the going-forth teacher (the one who gives one the ten precepts during one’s
ordination ceremony);
the acceptance teacher (the one who chants the motion and announcements during
the ceremony);
the Dhamma teacher (the one who teaches one the Pali language and Canon); and
the dependence teacher (the one with whom one lives in dependence).
The mentor’s duties to his pupil
1. Furthering the pupil’s education, teaching him the Dhamma and Vinaya through
recitation, interrogation, exhortation, and instruction.
2. Providing requisites for the pupil. If the pupil lacks any of his basic requisites,
and the mentor has any to spare, he should make up the lack.
3. Attending to the pupil’s personal needs when he is ill, performing the services
mentioned in section 1 under the pupil’s duties to his mentor.
4. Assisting the pupil in any problems he may have with regard to the Dhamma
and Vinaya, performing the services mentioned in section 2 under the pupil’s
duties to his mentor.
5. Teaching the pupil how to wash, make, and dye robes. If for some reason the
pupil is unable to handle these skills, the mentor should try to find some way to get
these tasks done.
6. Caring for the pupil when he falls ill, not leaving him until he either recovers or
passes away.
According to the Commentary, the preceptor, going-forth teacher, and acceptance
teacher must observe these duties toward the pupil as long as both parties are alive
and still ordained. As for the Dhamma and dependence teachers, they must observe
these duties only as long as the pupil is living with them.
Dismissal
If the pupil does not observe his duties to his mentor, the mentor is empowered to
dismiss him. In fact, if the pupil deserves dismissal, the mentor incurs a dukkaṭa if
for some reason he does not dismiss him, just as he would for dismissing a pupil
who did not deserve it. The grounds for dismissal are any of the following five:
1. The pupil has no affection for his mentor—i.e., he shows him no kindness.
2. He has no faith in his mentor—i.e., he does not regard him as an example to

follow.
3. He has no shame in front of his mentor—i.e., he openly disregards the training

rules in his mentor’s presence.
4. He has no respect for his mentor—i.e., he does not listen to what the mentor has
to say and openly disobeys him.
5. He is not developing under his mentor—the Commentary translates developing

here as developing a sense of good will for his mentor, but it could also mean
developing in his general education and practice of the Dhamma and Vinaya.
The Vinaya notes that the mentor should reflect on his own conduct before
dismissing such a pupil. If he has done anything that would give the pupil valid
reason for losing affection, etc., he should first correct his own conduct. Only after
reflecting that there is no longer anything in his own conduct that would give the
pupil valid reason to disregard him should he go ahead with the dismissal.
The Mahāvagga mentions each of the following statements as a valid means of

dismissal: “I dismiss you.” “Don’t come back here.” “Take away your robes and
bowl.” “Don’t attend to me.” It also states that if the mentor makes any of these
meanings known by gesture—e.g., he evicts the pupil from his quarters and throws
his robes and bowl out after him—that also counts as a valid means of dismissal.
As mentioned above, the Commentary states that regardless of whether a pupil is

under dependence or released from it, he is still expected to observe certain duties
to his preceptor—and his preceptor, certain duties to him—as long as both are
alive and ordained. This is in line with the fact that they are always to regard each
other as father and son: The preceptor is to take a continuing interest in his pupil’s
welfare, and the pupil is to show his continuing gratitude for the initiation his
preceptor has given him into the bhikkhu’s life.
End

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Nissaya in Vinaya Pitaka

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Life at an āvāsa with a teacher: Nissaya

The Buddha arranged for a period of apprenticeship—called nissaya, or

Dependence is of two sorts: dependence on one’s preceptor (upajjhāya) and

The preceptor should have an arahant’s virtue, concentration, discernment, release,

The minimum qualifications:

3. Washing, making, and dyeing the mentor’s robes.

4. Showing loyalty and respect for the mentor.

2. He has no faith in his mentor—i.e., he does not regard him as an example to

3. He has no shame in front of his mentor—i.e., he openly disregards the training

5. He is not developing under his mentor—the Commentary translates developing

The Mahāvagga mentions each of the following statements as a valid means of

As mentioned above, the Commentary states that regardless of whether a pupil is

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