Lzh Dg Bi Vb Pc 170Teaching Worldly Arts to Laity

– FOUR-PART VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

RULE 170

A. ORIGIN STORY

At one time, the Bhagavān was dwelling in the garden of Anāthapiṇḍika, in the Jeta Grove, at the city of Śrāvastī. At that time, the group of six bhikkhunīs taught worldly arts to laypeople, saying: "You should not urinate or defecate facing the sun, the moon, or the shrines of spirits. Nor should you throw refuse or dirty water from washing utensils in the direction of the sun, the moon, or places of spirit worship. Do not stretch out your feet toward the sun, the moon, or spirit shrines. But if you wish to build a room or a house, or to plow and sow, you should face toward the sun, the moon, or spirit shrines."

They further said:

"Today the stars are in such-and-such a favorable position, so it is auspicious to plow, to build a house, to hire laborers, to shave a child's head, to let the hair grow, to shave the beard and hair, to store up wealth, or to set out on a journey."

The bhikkhunīs heard of this; among them were those of few desires and contentment, who practiced the austere dhūta qualities, were fond of training in the precepts, knew a sense of shame, and reproached the group of six bhikkhunīs: "How could you teach such arts to laypeople, saying: 'Do you know this? You should not urinate or defecate facing the sun, the moon, or spirit shrines, and so forth, up to: you should set out on a journey'?"

The bhikkhunīs then reported the matter to the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus went and reported it to the Blessed One. The Blessed One, on account of this incident, convened the assembly of bhikkhus and rebuked the group of six bhikkhunīs, saying:

"What you have done is wrong, unbecoming, not in accordance with the conduct of a monastic, not pure conduct, not befitting behavior—it is something that should not be done. Group of six bhikkhunīs, how could you teach such arts to householders, saying: 'Do you know this? Do not urinate or defecate facing the sun or the moon, and so forth, up to: you should set out on a journey'?"

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

"These bhikkhunīs are a field for planting many seeds of the āsavas; they are the first to commit this offense. From this day forward, I shall lay down a precept for the bhikkhunīs, comprising ten aims, up to the aim of causing the true Dharma to long endure."

The precept should be recited as follows:

Whatever bhikkhunī teaches worldly arts and spells to laypeople — pācittiya.

B. ANALYSIS OF THE RULE

Bhikkhunī: as explained above.

Worldly arts: as explained previously.

If it is necessary to speak, one should say to that person: Do not urinate or defecate, or throw unclean things, facing the stūpa of the Tathāgata or the stūpa of the Śrāvakas; nor should one sit with legs stretched out facing the stūpa of the Tathāgata or the stūpa of the Śrāvakas. If one wishes to build a room or a house, or to plow and sow, one should face toward the stūpa of the Tathāgata or the stūpa of the Śrāvakas.

Furthermore, one should not say that today the stars are in such-and-such a favorable position for building a house, for sowing seeds, for hiring laborers, for shaving a child's head, for shaving one's hair, or for letting the hair grow. Rather, one should say: go into the monastery and stūpa, make offerings, and receive a meal with the community of bhikkhus; the 8th, 14th, and 15th are the days on which miraculous transformations are manifested.

If a bhikkhunī teaches such worldly arts to laypeople in this manner, up to advising them to set out on a journey — if spoken clearly, it is a pācittiya; if spoken indistinctly, it is a duṣkṛta.

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

Non-offense: If one says: do not urinate or defecate, or throw refuse and unclean things, facing the stūpa of the Tathāgata or the Śrāvakas; nor sit with legs stretched out facing the stūpa of the Tathāgata or the Śrāvakas. If one wishes to plow and sow, or to build a room or a house, one should face toward the stūpa of the Tathāgata, up to the Dharma of receiving a meal; or if one speaks in jest, speaks in haste, speaks to oneself, speaks in a dream, or intends to say one thing but says another — in all such cases there is no offense.

Those who do not offend: one who commits the act for the first time before the rule has been promulgated; one who is mentally deranged, whose mind is disturbed, or who is afflicted and overcome by 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: Bhikkhu Thích Nguyên Chứng

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

Buddhist Publication Committee, 2002