Lzh Dg Bi Vb Pc 72Douching

– DHARMAGUPTAKA VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

RULE 72

A. ORIGIN STORY

At one time, the Bhagavā was dwelling in the Nyagrodha Grove at Kapilavatthu, among the Sakyans. At that time, the bhikkhunī Mahāpajāpatī came to the Blessed One, bowed her head to his feet, stood to one side, and said to the Buddha:

"Blessed One, the female body is foul and impure."

Having said this, she bowed to the Buddha's feet, circumambulated three times, and withdrew.

At that time the Blessed One, on account of this matter, convened an assembly of bhikkhus and said to them:

"From this day forward, I permit the bhikkhunīs to use water for purification."

Sthūlanandā, having heard that the Buddha had permitted the use of water for purification, proceeded to use water for purification. While performing this purification, a lustful thought arose, and she inserted her finger deep inside the urinary passage; her fingernail caused an injury, blood flowed out, and it soiled her robe and bedding. The bhikkhunīs saw this and asked:

"What illness are you suffering from?"

Sthūlanandā explained the circumstances.

The bhikkhunīs who heard this—among them those who were of few desires, contentment, who practiced the dhutaṅga practices, were fond of learning the precepts, and knew shame and remorse—reproached the bhikkhunī Sthūlanandā: "Why, when you used water for purification, did you insert your finger deep into the urinary passage, causing your fingernail to inflict a wound and draw blood, soiling your robe and bedding?"

The bhikkhunīs went and reported the matter to the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus went and reported it to the Buddha. The Buddha, on account of this matter, convened an assembly of bhikkhus and rebuked the bhikkhunī Sthūlanandā:

"What you have done is wrong, not in accord with proper deportment, not in accord with the conduct of a śramaṇa, not in accord with pure conduct, not in accord with appropriate behavior—this is something that should not be done. Why, when using water for purification, did you arouse a lustful thought, insert your finger deep inside, cause your fingernail to inflict an injury, draw blood, and soil your robe and bedding?"

The Blessed One, having rebuked Sthūlanandā by various means, then said to the bhikkhus:

"This Sthūlanandā is a fertile ground for many kinds of defiled seeds, and she is the first to commit this offense. From this day forward, I shall lay down a rule for the bhikkhunīs comprising ten bases of meaning, up to the phrase 'for the long endurance of the true Dharma.'"

The rule should be stated as follows:

Whatever bhikkhunī uses water for purification should use two fingers, one joint of each finger; if she goes beyond this, it is a pācittiya.

B. ANALYSIS OF THE RULE

Bhikkhunī: as explained above.

Purification: using water to wash inside the vagina.

A bhikkhunī who uses water to wash inside should use two fingers, one joint of each finger; if she goes beyond this, it is a pācittiya.

For a śikṣamāṇā or a sāmaṇerī, it is a dukkaṭa. This is called an offense.

Non-offense: She uses only two fingers, one joint of each finger or less than one joint; or there is some illness; or there is grass or an insect inside that needs to be removed; in all such cases there is no offense.

Those who do not commit an offense: one who commits it for the first time before the rule has been established; one who is insane, mentally disturbed, or overcome by extreme 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