Lzh Dg Bi Vb Pc 136Not Ordaining Trainees After She Follows

– DHARMAGUPTAKA VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

RULE 136

A. ORIGIN STORY

At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling in the garden of Anāthapiṇḍika, in the Jeta Grove, at Sāvatthī. At that time, the bhikkhunī Thullanandā said to a sikkhamānā: "Give up this matter, train in this matter; I will confer full ordination upon you." The sikkhamānā agreed. This sikkhamānā was a person of intelligence and wisdom, capable of exhortation, and so Thullanandā had the thought of wishing to have the sikkhamānā continue exhorting for a long time in service to herself.

Therefore, she made no effort to arrange for conferring full ordination upon the sikkhamānā. The sikkhamānā reproached Thullanandā as follows: "You told me to give up this matter, to train in this matter, and that you would confer full ordination. Why have you up to now made no effort to confer full ordination upon me?"

The bhikkhunīs heard of this, and among them those who were of few wishes, content, who practiced the ascetic observances, were fond of training in the precepts, and had a sense of shame, reproached Thullanandā: "How could you say to the sikkhamānā, 'Give up this matter, train in this matter, and I will confer full ordination,' and then not confer full ordination upon her?"

The bhikkhunīs then went and reported the matter to the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus reported it to the Blessed One. The Blessed One, on account of this cause and condition, convened an assembly of bhikkhus and reproached Thullanandā:

"How could you say to the sikkhamānā, 'Give up this matter, train in this matter; I will confer full ordination,' and then not confer full ordination upon her?"

Having reproached her with numerous means, the Buddha said to the bhikkhus:

"This bhikkhunī is a field in which many defiled seeds are sown, and she is the first to transgress this rule. From now on, I shall lay down a rule for the bhikkhunīs, comprising ten bases of meaning, up to and including the phrase 'for the long endurance of the true Dharma.'"

The rule should be stated as follows:

Whatever bhikkhunī says to a sikkhamānā: 'Dear sister, give up this matter, train in this matter, and I will confer full ordination upon you,' and then makes no effort to confer full ordination—pācittiya.

B. ANALYSIS OF THE RULE

Bhikkhunī: as explained above.

If that bhikkhunī says to a sikkhamānā: "Dear sister, give up this matter, train in this matter, and I will confer full ordination upon you," and thereafter makes no effort to confer full ordination upon her—pācittiya.

For a bhikkhu: dukkaṭa. This is called an offense.

Non-offense: if having promised to confer full ordination, one then does confer full ordination; or if one is ill; or if one is no longer living together; or if there are not five robes; or if there is not a complete quorum of ten; or if there is a breach of precepts, a breach of conduct, a breach of view, a breach of deportment; or if one has been called to account for an offense; or if one has been expelled from the community; or if one is deserving of expulsion; or if on account of that matter there arises a danger to life or a danger to the holy life, and therefore one makes no effort to confer full ordination—none of these constitute an offense.

Those free from offense: the one who first transgressed before the rule was established; one who is mentally deranged, out of one's mind, or afflicted with extreme pain and distress.

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

Chinese translation: Tripiṭaka masters Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian.

Revision and annotation: Bhikkhu Thích Nguyên Chứng.

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

Buddhist Studies Editorial Board, 2002.