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Vinaya Piṭaka - Monastic Rules

Bhikkhu Vibhaṅga - Pācittiya 22: The Training Rule on Gone Down.

Origin story

1At one time when the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery, the senior monks were taking turns instructing the nuns. Then, on one occasion, it was Venerable Cūḷapanthaka’s turn. The nuns said, “Today the instruction won’t be effective. Venerable Cūḷapanthaka will just be repeating the same thing over and over.”

Soon afterwards those nuns went to Cūḷapanthaka, bowed, and sat down. Cūḷapanthaka then said to them, “Are you all here, Sisters?”


“We’re all here, Venerable.”

“Are you keeping the eight important principles?”

“We are.”


After saying, “This is the instruction,” he uttered the same heartfelt exclamation again and again:


2“For the heedful one possessed of the higher mind,
For the sage training on the path to sagacity—
There are no sorrows for such a one,
The peaceful one, who is always mindful.”

3And the nuns said, “Didn’t we say that the instruction wouldn’t be effective, that Venerable Cūḷapanthaka would just be repeating the same thing over and over?” Cūḷapanthaka overheard that conversation between the nuns. He then rose up into the air, walked back and forth in space, and he stood, sat down, and lay down there. He emitted smoke and fire, and he disappeared, all the while uttering the same heartfelt exclamation and many other sayings by the Buddha. The nuns said, “It’s astonishing and amazing! No previous instruction has been as effective as this one from Venerable Cūḷapanthaka!” And Cūḷapanthaka kept on instructing those nuns until the dark of night and then dismissed them, saying, “Go, Sisters.”

4But because the gates to town were closed, those nuns spent the night outside and only entered early in the morning. People complained and criticized them, “These nuns aren’t celibate. They spend the night in the monastery with the monks and only now do they enter town.”

5The monks heard the complaints of those people, and the monks of few desires complained and criticized Cūḷapanthaka, “How could Venerable Cūḷapanthaka instruct the nuns after the sun has set?”… “Is it true, Cūḷapanthaka, that you did this?”


“It’s true, Sir.”

The Buddha rebuked him … “Cūḷapanthaka, how could you do this? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:

Final ruling

6‘Even if he has been appointed, if a monk instructs the nuns after sunset, he commits an offense entailing confession.’”

Definitions

7Has been appointed: Has been appointed through a legal procedure consisting of one motion and three announcements.

8After sunset: after the sun has gone down.

9The nuns: they have been given the full ordination by both Sanghas.

10Instructs: if he instructs in the eight important principles or he gives any other teaching, he commits an offense entailing confession.

Permutations

11If the sun has set, and he perceives that it has, and he instructs the nuns, he commits an offense entailing confession. If the sun has set, but he is unsure of it, and he instructs the nuns, he commits an offense entailing confession. If the sun has set, but he perceives that it has not, and he instructs the nuns, he commits an offense entailing confession.

12If he instructs a nun who is fully ordained only on one side, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If the sun has not set, but he perceives that it has, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If the sun has not set, but he is unsure of it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If the sun has not set, and he perceives that it has not, there is no offense.

Non-offenses

13There is no offense: if he recites; if he tests them; if he recites when asked to do so; if he asks a question; if he replies when asked a question; if he is speaking for the benefit of someone else and the nuns listen in; if it is to a trainee nun; if it is to a novice nun; if he is insane; if he is the first offender.

14The training rule on set, the second, is finished.

 

1p_2V_517, msdiv153Tena samayena buddho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kho pana samayena therā bhikkhū bhikkhuniyo ovadanti pariyāyena. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmato cūḷapanthakassa pariyāyo hoti bhikkhuniyo ovadituṁ. Bhikkhunīyo evamāhaṁsu: "Na dāni ajja ovādo iddho bhavissati, taññeva dāni udānaṁ ayyo cūḷapanthako punappunaṁ bhaṇissatī"ti.

Atha kho tā bhikkhuniyo yenāyasmā cūḷapanthako tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ cūḷapanthakaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho tā bhikkhuniyo āyasmā cūḷapanthako etadavoca: "samaggāttha, bhaginiyo"ti?


"Samaggāmhāyyā"ti.

"Vattanti, bhaginiyo, aṭṭha garudhammā"ti?

"Vattantāyyā"ti.


"Eso, bhaginiyo, ovādo"ti niyyādetvā imaṁ udānaṁ punappunaṁ abhāsi—


2p_2V_518 "Adhicetaso appamajjato,
Munino monapathesu sikkhato;
Sokā na bhavanti tādino,
Upasantassa sadā satīmato"ti.

3p_2V_519Bhikkhunīyo evamāhaṁsu— "nanu avocumhā— na dāni ajja ovādo iddho bhavissati, taññeva dāni udānaṁ ayyo cūḷapanthako punappunaṁ bhaṇissatī"ti. Assosi kho āyasmā cūḷapanthako tāsaṁ bhikkhunīnaṁ imaṁ kathāsallāpaṁ. Atha kho āyasmā cūḷapanthako vehāsaṁ abbhuggantvā ākāse antalikkhe caṅkamatipi tiṭṭhatipi nisīdatipi seyyampi kappeti dhūmāyatipi pajjalatipi antaradhāyatipi, tañceva udānaṁ bhaṇati aññañca bahuṁ buddhavacanaṁ. Bhikkhunīyo evamāhaṁsu— "acchariyaṁ vata bho, abbhutaṁ vata bho. Na vata no ito pubbe ovādo evaṁ iddho bhūtapubbo yathā ayyassa cūḷapanthakassā"ti. Atha kho āyasmā cūḷapanthako tā bhikkhuniyo yāva samandhakārā ovaditvā uyyojesi— "gacchatha, bhaginiyo"ti.

4p_2V_520Atha kho tā bhikkhuniyo nagaradvāre thakite bahinagare vasitvā kālasseva nagaraṁ pavisanti. Manussā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti: "abrahmacāriniyo imā bhikkhuniyo; ārāme bhikkhūhi saddhiṁ vasitvā idāni nagaraṁ pavisantī"ti.

5p_2V_521Assosuṁ kho bhikkhū tesaṁ manussānaṁ ujjhāyantānaṁ khiyyantānaṁ vipācentānaṁ. Ye te bhikkhū appicchā … pe … te ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti: "Kathañhi nāma āyasmā cūḷapanthako atthaṅgate sūriye bhikkhuniyo ovadissatī"ti … pe … "Saccaṁ kira tvaṁ, cūḷapanthaka, atthaṅgate sūriye bhikkhuniyo ovadasī"ti?


"Saccaṁ, bhagavā"ti.

Vigarahi buddho bhagavā … pe … kathañhi nāma tvaṁ, cūḷapanthaka, atthaṅgate sūriye bhikkhuniyo ovadissasi. Netaṁ, cūḷapanthaka, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya … pe … evañca pana, bhikkhave, imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddiseyyātha—

 

6p_2V_522, msdiv154"Sammatopi ce bhikkhu atthaṅgate sūriye bhikkhuniyo ovadeyya, pācittiyan" ti

 

7p_2V_523, msdiv155Sammato nāma ñatticatutthena kammena sammato.

8p_2V_524Atthaṅgate sūriye'ti oggate sūriye.

9p_2V_525Bhikkhunī nāma ubhatosaṇghe upasampannā.

10p_2V_526Ovadeyyā'ti aṭṭhahi vā garudhammehi aññena vā dhammena ovadati, āpatti pācittiyassa.

 

11p_2V_527, msdiv156Atthaṅgate atthaṅgatasaññī ovadati, āpatti pācittiyassa. Atthaṅgate vematiko ovadati, āpatti pācittiyassa. Atthaṅgate anatthaṅgatasaññī ovadati, āpatti pācittiyassa.

12p_2V_528Ekatoupasampannāya ovadati, āpatti dukkaṭassa. Anatthaṅgate atthaṅgatasaññī, āpatti dukkaṭassa. Anatthaṅgate vematiko, āpatti dukkaṭassa. Anatthaṅgate anatthaṅgatasaññī, anāpatti.

 

13p_2V_529, msdiv157Anāpatti— uddesaṁ dento, paripucchaṁ dento, "osārehi ayyā"ti vuccamāno, osāreti, pañhaṁ pucchati, pañhaṁ puṭṭho katheti, aññassatthāya bhaṇantaṁ bhikkhuniyo suṇanti, sikkhamānāya sāmaṇeriyā, ummattakassa, ādikammikassāti.

14p_2V_530Atthaṅgatasikkhāpadaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ dutiyaṁ.