Origin story

1At one time when the Buddha was staying at Āḷavī at the Aggāḷava Shrine, the monks there were doing building work. They were cutting down trees and having them cut down. Then, when a certain monk was cutting down a tree, the deity that lived in it said to him, “Venerable, don’t cut down our dwelling because you want to build a dwelling for yourself.” Not taking any heed, he just cut it down, and he hurt the arm of that deity’s child. The deity thought, “Why don’t I just kill this monk?” But then it reconsidered, “It wouldn’t be right to just kill this monk. Let me instead tell the Buddha about this matter.” And it approached the Buddha and told him what had happened.

“Well done, deity! It’s good that you didn’t kill that monk. If you had killed that monk, you would have made much demerit. The tree over there is empty. Take that as your dwelling.”

People complained and criticized the monks, “How can the Sakyan monastics cut down trees and have them cut down? They are hurting life with one sense.”

2The monks heard the complaints of those people, and the monks of few desires complained and criticized those monks, “How can those monks at Āḷavī cut down trees and have them cut down?”… “Is it true, monks, that you do this?”

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“It’s true, Sir.”

The Buddha rebuked them … “Foolish men, how can you do this? People regard trees as conscious. This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:

Final ruling

3‘If a monk destroys plants, he commits an offense entailing confession.’”

Definitions

4Plants: there are five kinds of propagation: propagation from roots, propagation from stems, propagation from joints, propagation from cuttings, propagation from seeds.

5Propagation from roots: turmeric, ginger, sweet flag, white sweet flag, atis root, black hellebore, Vetiver root, nutgrass, or any other plant produced from roots, that grows from roots—this is called “propagation from roots”.

6Propagation from stems: the Bodhi tree, the banyan tree, the Indian rock fig, the cluster fig, the Indian cedar, the portia tree, or any other plant produced from stems, that grows from stems—this is called “propagation from stems”.

7Propagation from joints: sugarcane, bamboo, reed, or any other plant produced from joints, that grows from joints—this is called “propagation from joints”.

8Propagation from cuttings: shrubby basil, rajmahal hemp, Vicks plant, or any other plant produced from cuttings, that grows from cuttings—this is called “propagation from cuttings”.

9Propagation from seeds: grains, vegetables, or any other plant produced from seeds, that grows from seeds—this is called “propagation from seeds”.

Permutations

10If it is capable of propagation, and he perceives that it is, and he cuts it down or has it cut down, or he breaks it or has it broken, or he cooks it or has it cooked, he commits an offense entailing confession. If it is capable of propagation, but he is unsure of it, and he cuts it down or has it cut down, or he breaks it or has it broken, or he cooks it or has it cooked, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If it is capable of propagation, but he perceives that it is not, and he cuts it down or has it cut down, or he breaks it or has it broken, or he cooks it or has it cooked, there is no offense.

If it is not capable of propagation, but he perceives that it is, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If it is not capable of propagation, but he is unsure of it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If it is not capable of propagation, and he perceives that it is not, there is no offense.

Non-offenses

11There is no offense: if he says, “Consider this”, “Give this”, “Bring this”, “There’s need for this”, “Make this allowable;” if it is unintentional; if he is not mindful; if he does not know; if he is insane; if he is the first offender.

12The training rule on plants, the first, is finished.

 

1p_2V_338, msdiv89Tena samayena buddho bhagavā āḷaviyaṁ viharati aggāḷave cetiye. Tena kho pana samayena āḷavakā bhikkhū navakammaṁ karontā rukkhaṁ chindantipi chedāpentipi. Aññataropi āḷavako bhikkhu rukkhaṁ chindati. Tasmiṁ rukkhe adhivatthā devatā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: "mā, bhante, attano bhavanaṁ kattukāmo mayhaṁ bhavanaṁ chindī"ti. So bhikkhu anādiyanto chindiyeva, tassā ca devatāya dārakassa bāhuṁ ākoṭesi. Atha kho tassā devatāya etadahosi: "yannūnāhaṁ imaṁ bhikkhuṁ idheva jīvitā voropeyyan"ti. Atha kho tassā devatāya etadahosi: "na kho metaṁ patirūpaṁ yāhaṁ imaṁ bhikkhuṁ idheva jīvitā voropeyyaṁ. Yannūnāhaṁ bhagavato etamatthaṁ āroceyyan"ti. Atha kho sā devatā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato etamatthaṁ ārocesi.

"Sādhu sādhu, devate. Sādhu kho tvaṁ, devate, taṁ bhikkhuṁ jīvitā na voropesi. Sacajja tvaṁ, devate, taṁ bhikkhuṁ jīvitā voropeyyāsi, bahuñca tvaṁ, devate, apuññaṁ pasaveyyāsi. Gaccha tvaṁ, devate, amukasmiṁ okāse rukkho vivitto tasmiṁ upagacchā"ti.

Manussā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti: "Kathañhi nāma samaṇā sakyaputtiyā rukkhaṁ chindissantipi chedāpessantipi ekindriyaṁ samaṇā sakyaputtiyā jīvaṁ viheṭhentī"ti.

2p_2V_339Assosuṁ kho bhikkhū tesaṁ manussānaṁ ujjhāyantānaṁ khiyyantānaṁ vipācentānaṁ. Ye te bhikkhū appicchā … pe … te ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti: "Kathañhi nāma āḷavakā bhikkhū rukkhaṁ chindissantipi chedāpessantipī"ti … pe … "Saccaṁ kira tumhe, bhikkhave, rukkhaṁ chindathāpi chedāpethāpī"ti?

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"Saccaṁ, bhagavā"ti.

Vigarahi buddho bhagavā … pe … kathañhi nāma tumhe, moghapurisā, rukkhaṁ chindissathāpi, chedāpessathāpi. Jīvasaññino hi, moghapurisā, manussā rukkhasmiṁ. Netaṁ, moghapurisā, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya … pe … evañca pana, bhikkhave, imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddiseyyātha—

 

3p_2V_340, msdiv90""Bhūtagāmapātabyatāya pācittiyan"ti. (11:60)

 

4p_2V_341, msdiv91Bhūtagāmo nāma pañca bījajātāni— mūlabījaṁ, khandhabījaṁ, phaḷubījaṁ, aggabījaṁ, bījabījameva pañcamaṁ.

5p_2V_342Mūlabījaṁ nāma— haliddi, siṅgiveraṁ, vacā, vacattaṁ, ativisā, kaṭukarohiṇī, usīraṁ, bhaddamuttakaṁ, yāni vā panaññānipi atthi mūle jāyanti, mūle sañjāyanti, etaṁ mūlabījaṁ nāma.

6p_2V_343Khandhabījaṁ nāma— assattho, nigrodho, pilakkho, udumbaro, kacchako, kapitthano, yāni vā panaññānipi atthi khandhe jāyanti, khandhe sañjāyanti, etaṁ khandhabījaṁ nāma.

7p_2V_344Phaḷubījaṁ nāma— ucchu, veḷu, naḷo, yāni vā panaññānipi atthi pabbe jāyanti, pabbe sañjāyanti, etaṁ phaḷubījaṁ nāma.

8p_2V_345Aggabījaṁ nāma— ajjukaṁ, phaṇijjakaṁ, hiriveraṁ, yāni vā panaññānipi atthi agge jāyanti, agge sañjāyanti, etaṁ aggabījaṁ nāma.

9p_2V_346Bījabījaṁ nāma— pubbaṇṇaṁ, aparaṇṇaṁ, yāni vā panaññānipi atthi bīje jāyanti, bīje sañjāyanti, etaṁ bījabījaṁ nāma.

 

10p_2V_347, msdiv92Bīje bījasaññī chindati vā chedāpeti vā, bhindati vā bhedāpeti vā, pacati vā pacāpeti vā, āpatti pācittiyassa. Bīje vematiko chindati vā chedāpeti vā, bhindati vā bhedāpeti vā, pacati vā pacāpeti vā, āpatti dukkaṭassa.

Bīje abījasaññī chindati vā chedāpeti vā, bhindati vā bhedāpeti vā, pacati vā pacāpeti vā, anāpatti. Abīje bījasaññī āpatti dukkaṭassa. Abīje vematiko, āpatti dukkaṭassa. Abīje abījasaññī, anāpatti.

 

11p_2V_348, msdiv93Anāpatti— "imaṁ jāna, imaṁ dehi, imaṁ āhara, iminā attho, imaṁ kappiyaṁ karohī"ti bhaṇati, asañcicca, assatiyā, ajānantassa, ummattakassa, ādikammikassāti.

12p_2V_349Bhūtagāmasikkhāpadaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ paṭhamaṁ.