Brother and Sister

A sister is addressed and referred to by the term bhagini. The monks use it in a classificatory sense as well as they address all women as sisters. Since the monks should avoid all sexual relationships with women, this usage indicates that such relationships were prohibited between brother and sister. The fact that Ratthapala, sudinna Kalandaka and others after becoming monks addressed their former wives as sisters, to the despair of the wives^[1] gives an ample proof of this. The monk udayin addresses his wife as sister^[2] who has become a nun. In the same way, ugga gahapati who is an upasaka of the Buddha, addresses his wives as sisters at the time of his renunciation of worldly ties.^[3]