Lzh Dg Bi Vb Pc 143Staying Apart From Monks

– FOUR-PART VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

RULE 143

A. ORIGIN STORY

At one time, the Bhagavā was staying in the Anāthapiṇḍika's garden, Jeta's Grove, in the country of Śrāvastī. At that time, the bhikkhunīs spent the rains retreat in a place where there were no bhikkhus. When the day for instruction came, there was no place to seek instruction. When doubts arose, there was no one to ask.

The bhikkhunīs came to hear of this; among them were those of few desires and contentment, who lived the austere practices, who delighted in training in the precepts, who knew shame and remorse, and they reproached the bhikkhunīs: "How could you spend the rains retreat in a place where there are no bhikkhus, so that when the day for instruction comes there is no place to seek instruction, and when doubts arise there is no one to ask?"

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

"What you have done is wrong, improper, not in accordance with the deportment of monastics, not in accordance with the Dharma of renunciants, not in accordance with pure conduct, not in accordance with proper behavior—it is something that should not be done. How could you spend the rains retreat in a place where there are no bhikkhus, so that when doubts arise there is no one to ask?"

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

"These bhikkhunīs are a field that cultivates many defiled seeds; they are the first to transgress this precept. From this day forward, I shall establish the precept for bhikkhunīs, encompassing ten principles of meaning, up to and including the principle that the true Dharma may long endure."

The precept should be stated thus:

Whatever bhikkhunī spends the rains retreat in a place where there are no bhikkhus, a pācittiya.

B. ANALYSIS OF THE PRECEPT

Bhikkhunī: as explained above.

Whatever bhikkhunī spends the rains retreat in a place where there are no bhikkhus, she commits a pācittiya.

A bhikkhu commits a dukkaṭa. A sikkhāmānā, a sāmaṇera, a sāmaṇerī each commit a dukkaṭa. These are called transgressions.

Non-transgression: Spending the rains retreat in a place where there are bhikkhus. If a bhikkhunī is spending the rains retreat in dependence on the community of bhikkhus, and during that period the bhikkhus pass away, or go far away, or give up the training, or are captured and taken away by bandits, or are harmed by wild animals, or are swept away by water—there is no transgression.

Those who do not transgress: one who transgresses for the first time before the precept has been established; one who is insane, of disturbed mind, or afflicted with severe pain.

Vietnamese translation: Bhikkhu Thích Đỗng Minh and Thích Đức Thắng. FOUR-PART 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 Publication Committee, 2002