Lzh Dg Bi Vb Pc 169Supporting Oneself With Worldly Arts

– FOUR-PART VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

RULE 169

A. ORIGIN

At one time, the Bhagavān was dwelling in the garden of Anāthapiṇḍika, in the Jeta Grove, at the city of Śrāvastī. At that time, a group of six bhikṣuṇīs studied spells and incantations in order to support themselves. These incantations included detailed spells, spells of the kṣatriya class, spells for raising corpse-ghosts, or learning to know the signs of death, learning divination through the transformation of animals, and learning to understand the sounds of various birds.

Among the bhikṣuṇīs who heard of this, there were those of few desires and contentment, who practiced the ascetic disciplines, who delighted in training in the precepts, and who had a sense of shame. They criticized those bhikṣuṇīs, saying: "Why do you study such arts and techniques, even going so far as to learn the sounds of various birds?"

The bhikṣuṇīs reported this to the bhikṣus. The bhikṣus went and reported it to the Blessed One. The Blessed One, on account of this circumstance, assembled the Saṅgha of bhikṣus and rebuked the group of six bhikṣuṇīs, saying:

"What you have done is wrong—it is not proper conduct, not the way of a śramaṇa, not pure practice, not befitting behavior; it is something that should not be done. Why do bhikṣuṇīs study such arts and techniques, even going so far as to learn the sounds of various birds?"

Having rebuked them with countless skillful means, the Buddha said to the bhikṣus:

"These bhikṣuṇīs are a field that grows many seeds of the tainted; they are the first to transgress this precept. From this day forward, I shall establish a precept for the bhikṣuṇīs, comprising ten principles of meaning, up to and including the phrase 'so that the true Dharma may long endure.'"

Wishing to set forth the precept, it should be spoken thus:

Whatever bhikṣuṇī studies worldly arts and techniques in order to support herself—pācittiya.

B. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OFFENSE

Bhikṣuṇī: as explained above.

Arts and techniques: as explained previously.

Whatever bhikṣuṇī studies these arts and techniques, even going so far as to learn the sounds of various birds—if spoken clearly, pācittiya; if spoken indistinctly, duṣkṛta.

For a bhikṣu, duṣkṛta. For a śikṣamāṇā, a śrāmaṇera, or a śrāmaṇerī, duṣkṛta. These are called offenses.

Non-offense: If one studies spells to treat parasitic illness in the abdomen, or to treat indigestion; or studies poetry and recitation; or studies the reasonings of the world in order to subdue heterodox teachers; or studies spells against poison for the sake of self-protection—if not for the sake of livelihood, there is no offense.

Those who do not commit an offense: one who transgresses for the first time before the precept was established; one who is insane, mentally disturbed, or tormented by extreme pain and distress.

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

Chinese translation: Tripiṭaka masters Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian.

Revised and annotated: Bhikṣu Thích Nguyên Chứng

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

Buddhist Publication Committee, 2002