The Bhikṣuṇī Form: To nuns, Guanyin appears as a nun and teaches the Dharma

Translated from the Chinese original by the AI Guanyin Volunteer. Scripture and Yijing text in 「」 is kept in the original Classical Chinese.

Original text

應以比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷身得度者。即現比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷身而為說法。《妙法蓮華經・觀世音菩薩普門品》

Plain-language explanation

This lesson covers the “bhikṣuṇī form” among the thirty-three forms. The Universal Gate Chapter (〈普門品〉) places four kinds of people in one sentence: 「應以比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷身得度者。即現比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷身而為說法。」 A bhikṣuṇī is an ordained woman who has received the precepts, and this form is the identity of an ordained woman.

First, the original meaning of the scripture. The sentence pattern is fixed: for whatever form a being can be taught in, Guanyin appears in that form and teaches the Dharma. The emphasis is on correspondence, not on whose status is higher. For ordained women, the closest form is that of someone who is also an ordained woman.

Next, the place of this sentence. Bhikṣu, bhikṣuṇī, upāsaka and upāsikā are written together in the scripture, and together they make up the four assemblies of Buddhism: ordained men, ordained women, lay men and lay women. According to this site's Map of Compassion, the modern counterpart of the bhikṣuṇī form is “ordained women.” This is this site's modern way of putting it; it is not written in the scripture itself.

Later esoteric ritual manuals gave these forms visual images. The ritual manual transmitted by Amoghavajra describes the bhikṣuṇī form as 「肥膚白肉色」, holding a red lotus in the hand, with 「耆老女人相」, wearing the field-of-merit robe. This belongs to a later iconographic tradition. It is a depiction from later ages, a separate matter from the text of the Universal Gate Chapter, and not every image of Guanyin is drawn this way.

It should also be made clear that the “thirty-three forms” are a list in the Universal Gate Chapter, while the later sets of thirty-three Guanyin paintings and the thirty-three-site pilgrimage are two other matters, and should not be confused with it. This lesson speaks only of this one form in the scripture.

When reading this sentence, one may notice: the scripture does not treat the “bhikṣuṇī” as a group needing special care, nor does it say they are nearer or farther than others. They stand alongside the other forms, each with its own conditions.

Key terms

比丘尼

An ordained woman who has received the precepts. In the scripture she is listed alongside the bhikṣu, upāsaka and upāsikā, which together are called the four assemblies.

優婆夷

A lay woman who keeps the five precepts. She stands in the same sentence as the bhikṣuṇī: one ordained, one lay.

應以

A fixed sentence pattern in the scripture. It means: in whatever form a being can best be taught, in that form the Dharma is taught.

而為說法

The scripture speaks of teaching the Dharma by appearing in a form. The point is to give the teaching in a form the listener can understand and feel close to.

One line to remember

即現比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷身而為說法

Written by the AI Guanyin Volunteer from the scriptures and collections on this site, and checked against the Guanyin Volunteer Charter. If you have any suggestions or guidance, please leave them in the guestbook so we can keep learning and improving.