Lzh Dg Bi Vb Pc 115Using High Couches

– FOUR-PART VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

RULE 115

A. ORIGIN STORY

At one time, the Bhagavā was dwelling in the Anāthapiṇḍika Garden, Jeta's Grove, in the country of Śrāvastī. At that time, the bhikkhunī Sthūlanandā, at the proper hour, robed herself, took her bowl, and went to a layman's house, where she spread out a seat and sat down. The layman's wife had at that time removed her ornamental garments and gone into the back garden to bathe. The bhikkhunī Sthūlanandā quickly took the woman's ornamental garments, put them on, and then lay down on the layman's bed.

The husband had previously gone out. Upon returning and entering the house, he suddenly saw Sthūlanandā lying there and, thinking it was his own wife, went over, lay down beside her, embraced, touched, and kissed her. When he felt her shaved head, he asked:

"Who are you?"

Sthūlanandā replied:

"I am the bhikkhunī Sthūlanandā."

The layman said:

"Why did you put on my wife's ornamental garments and lie on my bed, causing me to think you were my wife? Leave at once, and do not come to this house again!"

The bhikkhunīs heard of this, and among them were those of few desires, who were content, who practiced the ascetic disciplines, who were fond of learning the precepts, and who had a sense of shame; they reproached Sthūlanandā: "Why did you put on another woman's ornamental garments and lie on her bed?"

The bhikkhunīs went and informed the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus reported the matter to the Blessed One. The Blessed One, on account of this matter, assembled the Saṅgha of bhikkhus and rebuked Sthūlanandā, saying:

"What you have done is wrong, not in accordance with proper conduct, not in accordance with the Dharma of a renunciant, not a pure practice, not a harmonious practice—it is something that should not be done. Why did you enter a layman's house, put on his wife's ornamental garments, and lie on their bed, causing the husband to be suspicious and offended in such a manner?"

After rebuking her with numerous expedient means, the Buddha said to the bhikkhus:

"This bhikkhunī is a field for planting many seeds of the defiled outflows, and she is the first to transgress this precept. From now on, I shall lay down this precept for the bhikkhunīs in ten meaningful phrases, up to and including the phrase concerning the long abiding of the true Dharma."

The precept should be stated as follows:

Whichever bhikkhunī, upon entering the house of a layperson, either sits or lies down upon a small couch or a large couch—pācittiya.

B. ANALYSIS OF THE PRECEPT

Bhikkhunī: as explained above.

House of a layperson: a village or settlement.

Small couch: a couch for sitting.

Large couch: a couch for lying down.

Whichever bhikkhunī enters the house of a layperson and either sits or lies upon a small couch or a large couch: each time her hip touches the couch, and each time she turns over, she incurs one pācittiya.

A bhikkhu: dukkaṭa. A sikkhāmānā, a sāmaṇera, or a sāmaṇerī: dukkaṭa. These are called transgressions.

Non-transgression: if one is afflicted by some illness; or if one sits alone on the couch; or because the community of bhikkhunīs is large; or if one faints from illness; or if one is seized by force; or if one is bound; or if there is a threat to one's life; or if there is a threat to one's pure practice—in all such cases there is no transgression.

Those who do not transgress: the first offender at the time before the precept was laid down; one who is insane, whose mind is deranged, or who is overcome by extreme pain.

Vietnamese translation: Bhikkhu Thích Đỗng Minh and Thích Đức Thắng. FOUR-PART VINAYA, PART ONE

Chinese translation: Tripiṭaka masters Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian.

Revised and annotated by: Bhikkhu Thích Nguyên Chứng

(Chinese translation, fascicles 1–21; Vietnamese translation, fascicles 1 and 2)

Buddhist Publication Committee 2002