Lzh Dg Bi Vb Pc 116Leaving a House

– FOUR-PART VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

RULE 116

A. ORIGIN STORY

At one time, the Bhagavān was dwelling in the Anāthapiṇḍika Garden, Jeta's Grove, in the country of Śrāvastī. At that time, a large number of bhikkhunīs were traveling to the country of Kosala. Along the way, they arrived at a village where there was no lodging. They spoke to the owner of a certain house, requesting that sitting mats be spread out inside the house so they could spend the night. In the morning they departed without taking leave of the householder.

Afterward, the village caught fire and the house burned. As the fire blazed, the householder thought there were people inside the house, and so did not rush to fight the fire; as a result, the house burned completely to the ground.

The householder asked, "Where are the bhikkhunīs?" Someone informed him that they had all departed. The householders were resentful and said: "These bhikkhunīs have no sense of shame or modesty. They claim to be practitioners of the true Dharma. What kind of true Dharma is this? How could they ask the householder to let them spend the night inside his house, and then in the morning leave without taking their leave of him? We thought there were people inside the house, so we did not fight the fire, and thus the house burned completely to the ground!"

The bhikkhunīs heard of this, and among them were those of few desires and contentment, who practiced the dhūta qualities, were fond of studying the precepts, and felt a sense of shame. They reproached the bhikkhunīs: "Why did you ask the householder to let you stay the night, and then when you left, you did not take leave of the householder, thereby causing his house to burn completely?"

The bhikkhunīs went and reported the matter to the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus went and reported it to the Buddha. The Buddha, on account of this, assembled the community of bhikkhus and reproached those bhikkhunīs, saying:

"Why did you ask the householder to let you spend the night inside his house, and when you left, did not take leave of him, thereby causing his house to burn completely?"

Having reproached them with countless means, the Buddha addressed the bhikkhus:

"These bhikkhunīs are a field for sowing many seeds of the āsavas; they are the first to commit this offense. From this day forward, I shall lay down a rule for the bhikkhunīs consisting of ten phrases of meaning, up to and including the phrase on the long endurance of the true Dharma."

The rule should be stated as follows:

Whatever bhikkhunī goes to the house of a layperson, requests the householder to prepare a place to spend the night, and in the morning departs without taking leave of the householder — pācittiya.

B. ANALYSIS OF THE RULE

Bhikkhunī: as explained above.

House of a layperson: a village or settlement.

Spending the night: a place where one sleeps overnight.

Preparing a place: whether spread with grass, with leaves, or even having a woolen sleeping mat spread out by oneself.

Whatever bhikkhunī goes to the house of a layperson, requests the householder to prepare a place to sleep for the night, and in the morning departs without taking leave — once she has passed through the gate, pācittiya. If one foot is inside and one foot is outside, or if one has the intention to leave but has not yet left, or if one has made an arrangement to leave but has not yet left — all of these are duṣkṛta.

For a bhikkhu — duṣkṛta. For a śikṣamāṇā, a śrāmaṇera, or a śrāmaṇerī — duṣkṛta. This is called an offense.

Non-offense: if she took leave of the householder before departing; or if there were already other people residing in the house; or if the house has no owner; or if it is a public shelter; or if there is an intimate companion, or if an intimate companion says, "You may go; I will inform the householder for you." Or if the house collapsed or caught fire; or if there is a poisonous snake or a dangerous animal inside the house; or if bandits have entered; or if she is seized by force; or if she is bound and tied; or if there is a threat to her life or a threat to her chastity — in all such cases there is no offense.

Those who do not commit an offense: one who commits it for the first time before the rule has been promulgated; one who is insane, mentally deranged, or afflicted and overwhelmed by pain.

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

Chinese translation: Tripiṭaka Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian.

Edited and annotated: Bhikkhu Thích Nguyên Chứng

(Chinese translation, Volumes 1–21; Vietnamese translation, Volumes 1–2)

Buddhist Studies Publication Committee, 2002