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Vinaya Piṭaka - Monastic Rules

Bhikkhu Vibhaṅga - Pācittiya 64: Not to conceal a serious offence

Origin story

1At one time when the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery, Venerable Upananda the Sakyan had committed an offense of intentional emission of semen.

He told his brother’s student about this, adding, “Don’t tell anyone.”

Soon afterwards another monk also committed an offense of intentional emission of semen. He asked the Sangha for probation, which he got. While he was on probation, he saw Upananda’s brother’s student and said to him:

“I’ve committed an offense of intentional emission of semen. I asked the Sangha for probation, which I got. I’m now undergoing probation. Please remember me as such.”


2“Do others who have committed this offense need to do the same?”

“Yes.”


“Venerable Upananda committed this offense and told me not to tell anyone.”

“So did you conceal it?”

“Yes.”

3That monk then told other monks. The monks of few desires complained and criticized him:

“How could a monk knowingly conceal a monk’s grave offense?” …

“Is it true, monk, that you did this?”


“It’s true, Sir.”

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

Final ruling

4‘If a monk knowingly conceals a monk’s grave offense, he commits an offense entailing confession.’”

Definitions

5A: whoever … Monk: … The monk who has been given the full ordination by a unanimous Sangha through a legal procedure consisting of one motion and three announcements that is irreversible and fit to stand—this sort of monk is meant in this case.


6A monk’s: another monk’s.

7Knowingly: he knows by himself or others have told him or the offender has told him.

8Grave offense: the four offenses entailing expulsion and the thirteen offenses entailing suspension.

9Conceals: thinking, “If they find out about this, they’ll accuse him, remind him, scold him, censure him, humiliate him; I won’t tell,” then by the mere fact of abandoning his duty, he commits an offense entailing confession.

Permutations

10If it is a grave offense, and he perceives it as such, and he conceals it, he commits an offense entailing confession. If it is a grave offense, but he is unsure of it, and he conceals it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If it is a grave offense, but he perceives it as minor, and he conceals it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If he conceals a minor offense, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If he conceals the grave or minor misconduct of one who is not fully ordained, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If it is a minor offense, but he perceives it as grave, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If it is a minor offense, but he is unsure of it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If it is a minor offense, and he perceives it as such, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

Non-offenses

11There is no offense: if he does not tell because he thinks there will be quarrels or disputes in the Sangha; if he does not tell because he thinks there will be a fracture or schism in the Sangha; if he does not tell because he thinks the person he is telling about is cruel and harsh and that he might become a threat to life or to the monastic life; if he does not tell because he does not see any suitable monks; if he does not tell, but not because he wants to conceal; if he does not tell because he thinks the other person will be known through his own actions; if he is insane; if he is the first offender.

12The training rule on what is grave, the fourth, is finished.

 

1p_2V_1200, msdiv397Tena samayena buddho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā upanando sakyaputto sañcetanikaṁ sukkavissaṭṭhiṁ āpattiṁ āpajjitvā bhātuno saddhivihārikassa bhikkhuno ārocesi—

"Ahaṁ, āvuso, sañcetanikaṁ sukkavissaṭṭhiṁ āpattiṁ āpanno. Mā kassaci ārocehī"ti.

Tena kho pana samayena aññataro bhikkhu sañcetanikaṁ sukkavissaṭṭhiṁ āpattiṁ āpajjitvā saṇghaṁ tassā āpattiyā parivāsaṁ yāci. Tassa saṇgho tassā āpattiyā parivāsaṁ adāsi. So parivasanto taṁ bhikkhuṁ passitvā etadavoca:

"Ahaṁ, āvuso, sañcetanikaṁ sukkavissaṭṭhiṁ āpattiṁ āpajjitvā saṇghaṁ tassā āpattiyā parivāsaṁ yāciṁ, tassa me saṇgho tassā āpattiyā parivāsaṁ adāsi, sohaṁ parivasāmi, vediyāmahaṁ, āvuso, vediyatīti maṁ āyasmā dhāretū"ti.


2p_2V_1201"Kiṁ nu kho, āvuso, yo aññopi imaṁ āpattiṁ āpajjati sopi evaṁ karotī"ti?

"Evamāvuso"ti.


"Ayaṁ, āvuso, āyasmā upanando sakyaputto sañcetanikaṁ sukkavissaṭṭhiṁ āpattiṁ āpajjitvā so me āroceti mā kassaci ārocehī"ti.

"Kiṁ pana tvaṁ, āvuso, paṭicchādesī"ti?

"Evamāvuso"ti.

3p_2V_1202Atha kho so bhikkhu bhikkhūnaṁ etamatthaṁ ārocesi. Ye te bhikkhū appicchā … pe … te ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti:

"Kathañhi nāma bhikkhu bhikkhussa jānaṁ duṭṭhullaṁ āpattiṁ paṭicchādessatī"ti … pe …

"Saccaṁ kira tvaṁ, bhikkhu, bhikkhussa jānaṁ duṭṭhullaṁ āpattiṁ paṭicchādesī"ti.


"Saccaṁ, bhagavā"ti.

Vigarahi buddho bhagavā … pe … kathañhi nāma tvaṁ, moghapurisa, bhikkhussa jānaṁ duṭṭhullaṁ āpattiṁ paṭicchādessasi. Netaṁ, moghapurisa, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya … pe … evañca pana, bhikkhave, imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddiseyyātha—

 

4p_2V_1203, msdiv398"Yo pana bhikkhu bhikkhussa jānaṁ duṭṭhullaṁ āpattiṁ paṭicchādeyya, pācittiyan" ti.

 

5p_2V_1204, msdiv399Yo panā'ti yo yādiso … pe … bhikkhū'ti … pe … ayaṁ imasmiṁ atthe adhippeto bhikkhūti.


6p_2V_1205Bhikkhussā'ti aññassa bhikkhussa.

7p_2V_1206Jānāti nāma sāmaṁ vā jānāti aññe vā tassa ārocenti, so vā āroceti.

8p_2V_1207Duṭṭhullā nāma āpatti cattāri ca parajikani terasa ca saṇghādisesā.

9p_2V_1208Paṭicchādeyyā'ti "imaṁ jānitvā codessanti, sāressanti khuṁsessanti, vambhessanti, maṅkuṁ karissanti nārocessāmī"ti dhuraṁ nikkhittamatte, āpatti pācittiyassa.

 

10p_2V_1209, msdiv400Duṭṭhullāya āpattiyā duṭṭhullāpattisaññī paṭicchādeti, āpatti pācittiyassa. Duṭṭhullāya āpattiyā vematiko paṭicchādeti, āpatti dukkaṭassa. Duṭṭhullāya āpattiyā aduṭṭhullāpattisaññī paṭicchādeti, āpatti dukkaṭassa.

Aduṭṭhullaṁ āpattiṁ paṭicchādeti, āpatti dukkaṭassa. Anupasampannassa duṭṭhullaṁ vā aduṭṭhullaṁ vā ajjhācāraṁ paṭicchādeti, āpatti dukkaṭassa.

Aduṭṭhullāya āpattiyā duṭṭhullāpattisaññī, āpatti dukkaṭassa.

Aduṭṭhullāya āpattiyā vematiko, āpatti dukkaṭassa. Aduṭṭhullāya āpattiyā aduṭṭhullāpattisaññī, āpatti dukkaṭassa.

 

11p_2V_1210, msdiv401Anāpatti— "saṇghassa bhaṇḍanaṁ vā kalaho vā viggaho vā vivādo vā bhavissatī"ti nāroceti, "saṇghabhedo vā saṇgharāji vā bhavissatī"ti nāroceti, "Ayaṁ kakkhaḷo pharuso jīvitantarāyaṁ vā brahmacariyantarāyaṁ vā karissatī"ti nāroceti, aññe patirūpe bhikkhū apassanto nāroceti, nachādetukāmo nāroceti, "paññāyissati sakena kammenā"ti nāroceti, ummattakassa, ādikammikassāti.

12p_2V_1211Duṭṭhullasikkhāpadaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ catutthaṁ.