Lzh Dg Bi Vb Pc 174Building Stupa in Monks’ Monastery

– DHARMAGUPTAKA VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

RULE 174

A. ORIGIN STORY

At one time, the Bhagavā was dwelling in the garden of Anāthapiṇḍika, in the Jeta Grove, at Sāvatthī. At that time, in the city of Sāvatthī, a certain bhikkhunī who was well known and respected by many people passed away. The bhikkhunīs built a stupa within the monastery of the bhikkhus. The nuns gathered foot-washing stones from various places belonging to the great Saṅgha and broke them apart to use in the construction of the stupa. When visiting bhikkhus arrived, not knowing it was a stupa of a bhikkhunī, they paid homage to it.

Among the bhikkhunīs who heard of this, there were those of few wishes and contentment, who practiced the dhūtaṅga discipline, who delighted in training in the precepts, and who knew a sense of shame and remorse. They rebuked the bhikkhunīs: "Why did you build a stupa within the monastery of the great Saṅgha, causing visiting bhikkhus who did not know to pay homage to it?"

The bhikkhunīs reported the matter to the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus went and reported it to the Blessed One. The Blessed One, using this as a cause and condition, assembled the Saṅgha of bhikkhus and rebuked the group of six bhikkhunīs:

"What you have done is wrong—it is not proper conduct, not the practice of a samaṇa, not pure conduct, not harmonious behavior; it is something that should not be done. Why did the bhikkhunīs build a stupa within the monastery of the great Saṅgha, causing visiting bhikkhus who did not know to pay homage to it?"

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

"These bhikkhunīs are a field that has planted many seeds of the āsavas; they are the first to have committed this offense. From now on, I shall lay down a rule for the bhikkhunīs, for the sake of ten benefits, up to and including the phrase 'for the longevity of the true Dharma.'"

The rule should be stated as follows:

Whatever bhikkhunī builds a stupa within the monastery of bhikkhus: pācittiya.

The Blessed One laid down the rule for the bhikkhunīs in this way. At that time, some bhikkhunīs, wishing to build a stupa in an old monastery where there were no bhikkhus and which had fallen into disrepair, were uncertain. The Buddha said:

"There is no offense."

From now on, the rule should be stated as follows:

Whatever bhikkhunī builds a stupa within a monastery where bhikkhus are residing: pācittiya.

The bhikkhunīs again did not know whether bhikkhus were present or not, and so they either confessed a pācittiya or were uncertain. The Buddha said:

"If one does not know, there is no offense."

From now on, this rule should be stated as follows:

Whatever bhikkhunī, knowing that bhikkhus are residing in a monastery, builds a stupa there: pācittiya.

B. ANALYSIS OF THE RULE

Bhikkhunī: as explained above.

If a bhikkhunī, knowing that bhikkhus are residing in the monastery, builds a stupa—for each action of taking foot-washing stones, bricks, tiles, or bundles of grass, whether many or few—each single item incurs one pācittiya.

For a bhikkhu: a dukkaṭa. For a sikkhāmānā, a sāmaṇera, or a sāmaṇerī: a dukkaṭa. These are called offenses.

Non-offense: If one did not previously know; or if it is an old monastery that has fallen into disrepair; or if the stupa was built first and the monastery was established afterward—there is no offense.

Those who do not commit an offense: the first offender before the rule was laid down; one who is insane, mentally deranged, or afflicted and overwhelmed by pain.

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

Chinese translation: Tripiṭaka masters Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian.

Revised and annotated: Bhikkhu Thích Nguyên Chứng.

(Chinese translation, volumes 1–21; Vietnamese translation, volumes 1–2.)

Buddhist Publication Committee, 2002.