Nissaggiya Pācittiya 4: Asking For Something, Sending it Back then Asking For Another Thing.
- Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Brahmali. (More copyright information)
Origin story
1At one time when the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery, the nun Thullanandā was sick. A lay follower went to her and asked, “Venerable, what’s wrong with you? What may I get you?”
“I need ghee.”
That lay follower then brought back from a shop a kahāpaṇa’s worth of ghee and gave it to Thullanandā. Thullanandā said, “I don’t need ghee; I need oil.” The lay follower returned to the shopkeeper and said:
“It seems the nun doesn’t need ghee, but oil. Here’s your ghee; please give me oil.”
“Sir, if we were to take back goods that have been sold, when would our goods be sold? When ghee is bought, ghee is taken away. Buying oil, you receive that, and you’ll take that away.”
That lay follower then complained and criticized her, “How could Venerable Thullanandā ask for one thing and then for something else?”
2The nuns heard the complaints of that lay follower, and the nuns of few desires complained and criticized her … Those nuns then told the monks, who in turn told the Buddha. Soon afterwards he had the Sangha gathered and questioned the monks:
“Is it true, monks, that the nun Thullanandā did this?”
“It’s true, Sir.”
The Buddha rebuked her …
“How could the nun Thullanandā ask for one thing and then for something else? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, the nuns should recite this training rule like this:
Final ruling
3‘If a nun asks for one thing and then for something else, she commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession.’”
Definitions
4A: whoever … Nun: … The nun who has been given the full ordination in unanimity by both Sanghas through a legal procedure consisting of one motion and three announcements that is irreversible and fit to stand—this sort of nun is meant in this case.
5Asks for one thing: whatever she asks for.
6Then for something else: apart from that thing, if she asks for something else, then for the effort there is an act of wrong conduct. When she gets it, it becomes subject to relinquishment.
It is to be relinquished to a saṅgha, a group, or an individual nun. “And, monks, it’s to be relinquished like this. To be expanded as in Nissaggiya Pācittiya 1, paragraph 9 with appropriate substitutions.
… ‘Venerables, this thing, which I asked for after asking for something else, is to be relinquished. I relinquish it to the Sangha.’ … the Sangha should give … you should give … ‘I give this back to you.’”
Permutations
7If it is something else and she perceives it as such, and she asks for that, she commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession. If it is something else, but she is unsure of it, and she asks for that, she commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession. If it is something else, but she does not perceive it as such, and she asks for that, she commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession.
8If it is not something else, but she perceives it as such, and she asks for that, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. If it is not something else, but she is unsure of it, and she asks for that, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. If it is not something else, and she does not perceive it as such, and she asks for that, there is no offense.
Non-offenses
9There is no offense: if she asks for both at the same time; if she can show a benefit in asking; if she is insane; if she is the first offender.
10The fourth training rule is finished.
1p_2V_2463, msdiv748Tena samayena buddho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kho pana samayena thullanandā bhikkhunī gilānā hoti. Atha kho aññataro upāsako yena thullanandā bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā thullanandaṁ bhikkhuniṁ etadavoca: “kiṁ te, ayye, aphāsu, kiṁ āharīyatū”ti?
“Sappinā me, āvuso, attho”ti.
Atha kho so upāsako aññatarassa āpaṇikassa gharā kahāpaṇassa sappiṁ āharitvā thullanandāya bhikkhuniyā adāsi. Thullanandā bhikkhunī evamāha— “na me, āvuso, sappinā attho; telena me attho”ti.Atha kho so upāsako yena so āpaṇiko tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ āpaṇikaṁ etadavoca:
“Na kirāyyo, ayyāya sappinā attho, telena attho. Handa te sappiṁ, telaṁ me dehī”ti.
“Sace mayaṁ, ayyo, vikkītaṁ bhaṇḍaṁ puna ādiyissāma, kadā amhākaṁ bhaṇḍaṁ vikkāyissati; sappissa kayena sappi haṭaṁ, telassa kayaṁ āhara, telaṁ harissasī”ti.
Atha kho so upāsako ujjhāyati khiyyati vipāceti— “Kathañhi nāma ayyā thullanandā aññaṁ viññāpetvā aññaṁ viññāpessatī”ti.
2p_2V_2464Assosuṁ kho bhikkhuniyo tassa upāsakassa ujjhāyantassa khiyyantassa vipācentassa. Yā tā bhikkhuniyo appicchā … pe … tā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti … pe … atha kho tā bhikkhuniyo bhikkhūnaṁ etamatthaṁ ārocesuṁ. Bhikkhū bhagavato etamatthaṁ ārocesuṁ … pe …
“Saccaṁ kira, bhikkhave, thullanandā bhikkhunī aññaṁ viññāpetvā aññaṁ viññāpetī”ti?
Saccaṁ, bhagavā”ti.
Vigarahi buddho bhagavā … pe …
Kathañhi nāma, bhikkhave, thullanandā bhikkhunī aññaṁ viññāpetvā aññaṁ viññāpessati. Netaṁ, bhikkhave, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya … pe … evañca pana, bhikkhave, bhikkhuniyo imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddisantu—
3p_2V_2465, msdiv749“Yā pana bhikkhunī aññaṁ viññāpetvā aññaṁ viññāpeyya, nissaggiyaṁ pācittiyan”ti. (4:29)
4p_2V_2466, msdiv750Yā panā'ti yā yādisā … pe … bhikkhunī'ti … pe … ayaṁ imasmiṁ atthe adhippetā bhikkhunīti.
5p_2V_2467Aññaṁ viññāpetvā'ti yaṁ kiñci viññāpetvā.
6p_2V_2468Aññaṁ viññāpeyyā'ti taṁ ṭhapetvā aññaṁ viññāpeti, payoge dukkaṭaṁ. Paṭilābhena nissaggiyaṁ hoti.
Nissajjitabbaṁ saṁghassa vā gaṇassa vā ekabhikkhuniyā vā. Evañca pana, bhikkhave, nissajjitabbaṁ … pe …
“Idaṁ me, ayye, aññaṁ viññāpetvā aññaṁ viññāpitaṁ nissaggiyaṁ, imāhaṁ saṁghassa nissajjāmī”ti … pe … dadeyyā”ti … pe … dadeyyun”ti … pe … ayyāya dammī”ti.
7p_2V_2469, msdiv751Aññe aññasaññā aññaṁ viññāpeti, nissaggiyaṁ pācittiyaṁ. Aññe vematikā aññaṁ viññāpeti, nissaggiyaṁ pācittiyaṁ. Aññe anaññasaññā aññaṁ viññāpeti, nissaggiyaṁ pācittiyaṁ.
8p_2V_2470Anaññe aññasaññā anaññaṁ viññāpeti, āpatti dukkaṭassa. Anaññe vematikā anaññaṁ viññāpeti, āpatti dukkaṭassa. Anaññe anaññasaññā, anāpatti.
9p_2V_2471, msdiv752Anāpatti— taññeva viññāpeti, aññañca viññāpeti, ānisaṁsaṁ dassetvā viññāpeti, ummattikāya, ādikammikāyāti.
10p_2V_2472Catutthasikkhāpadaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ.