Proper Behavior in a Case of Aggravated Misconduct
Ādibrahmacariyakasutta — Sativagga — the ninth chapter of the Eights
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
A single, unreversed list of eight specific behavioral restrictions, with no reversal pair this time
Length
under 1 minute to read
Closing this chapter's procedural run without reversal
Unlike AN 8.87, 8.88, and 8.89, each of which paired its formal act with explicit grounds for reversal, this discourse states only the eight restrictions themselves, with no parallel list for lifting them
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — formal and specific, closing this chapter on institutional detail rather than doctrine or narrative
Why this discourse
AN 8.90 closes this chapter by naming eight specific restrictions a mendicant convicted of aggravated misconduct must observe: barred from performing ordinations, giving dependence, supervising novices, advising nuns, accepting Saṅgha appointments, holding seniority, or excusing others from offenses similar to their own.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
A mendicant convicted of aggravated misconduct must observe eight specific restrictions on their monastic role: no ordaining others, no giving dependence or supervising a novice, no serving or being appointed as adviser for nuns, no accepting any Saṅgha appointment, no position of seniority, and no resolving others from offenses similar to their own.
Restrictions targeting authority, not participation
Every one of the eight restrictions concerns positions of authority, responsibility, or influence over others — ordaining, supervising, advising, holding seniority — rather than barring the convicted mendicant from monastic life itself. The restriction is specifically on exercising authority while under this status, not on remaining part of the community.
A pointed final restriction
The eighth and final restriction carries particular weight: such a mendicant must not resolve others from any offense similar to the one they themselves committed — a direct acknowledgment that someone under this status lacks the standing to judge others on the very matter they themselves are answering for.
No reversal list, closing this chapter differently
Where the three preceding discourses in this chapter's procedural cluster each paired their formal act with explicit grounds for reversal, this discourse names only the restrictions themselves, with no parallel list describing when or how they lift — closing this chapter's run of institutional-procedure discourses on a single, unreversed statement of what aggravated misconduct costs a mendicant in standing.
Key terms
garukāya āpattiyā parivutthaparivāso — part of this discourse's own framing, a mendicant convicted of “aggravated misconduct” and undergoing the associated probation.
na upasampādetabbaṁ — “must not perform an ordination” — the first restriction, barring the convicted mendicant from bringing others into full ordination.
bhikkhunovādako na sammannitabbo — “must not consent to being appointed as adviser for nuns” — connecting this discourse back to the specific qualification named at AN 8.52 earlier in this book.
na therāsane nisīditabbaṁ — “must not be put in a position of seniority” — one of the eight restrictions, barring the elevated standing seniority would otherwise confer.
na tādisikāya āpattiyā aññaṁ vuṭṭhāpetabbaṁ — “must not resolve others from any offense similar to that which they have transgressed” — the eighth and final restriction, closing the list and this chapter.
The text
The discourse in full: eight restrictions on a mendicant convicted of aggravated misconduct, closing this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Eight restrictions for a mendicant convicted of aggravated misconduct
§1“Mendicants, a mendicant who has been convicted of aggravated misconduct must behave themselves properly in eight respects. They must not perform an ordination, give dependence, or be attended by a novice. They must not consent to being appointed as adviser for nuns, and if they are appointed they should not give such advice. They must not consent to any Saṅgha appointment. They must not be put in a position of seniority. They must not resolve others from any offense similar to that which they have transgressed. A mendicant who has been convicted of aggravated misconduct must behave themselves properly in these eight respects.”
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Self-check quiz
6 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 6
What kind of restrictions does this discourse's eight items concern?
Correct: B. Authority and standing, not exclusion from the community itself.
Question 2 of 6
What does the eighth and final restriction specifically address?
Correct: B. An acknowledgment that the convicted mendicant lacks standing to judge others on the matter they themselves are answering for.
Question 3 of 6
How does this discourse differ structurally from AN 8.87, 8.88, and 8.89?
Correct: B. A single, unreversed statement, unlike the three preceding paired procedures.
Question 4 of 6
What connection does this discourse have to AN 8.52, earlier in this book?
Correct: B. A restriction tied directly to a role this book already examined the qualifications for.
Question 5 of 6
What does the guide say about whether this discourse bars the convicted mendicant from monastic life itself?
Correct: B. A targeted restriction on authority, not a total exclusion.
Question 6 of 6
What chapter does this discourse close?
Correct: B. The final discourse of this chapter, opened at AN 8.81.
