Lzh Dg Bu Vb Pc 29Eating Food Prepared on a Nun’s Instruction

– DHARMAGUPTAKA VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

29. FOOD PROMOTED BY A NUN

A. ORIGIN OF THE RULE

At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling in the Anāthapiṇḍika garden, Jeta's Grove, in the city of Sāvatthī. At that time, a householder in the city of Sāvatthī invited the Venerable Sāriputta and Moggallāna to receive a meal.

That night, the householder prepared an ample supply of fine foods; in the morning he spread out good seats, arranged the sitting places, and in due time sent word of the hour.

Now at that time, the nun Thullanandā had previously been acquainted with that householder's family. On that morning, Thullanandā put on her robe, took her bowl, and went to the householder's house. Seeing that the householder had already spread out many fine seats in an open area, she asked him:

"Have you spread out all these seats because you wish to invite bhikkhus?"

The householder replied:

"That is so."

She asked:

"Which bhikkhus have you invited?"

"I have invited the Venerable Sāriputta and Moggallāna."

The nun said:

"Those who have been invited are all persons of low standing. If you had asked me earlier, I would have arranged for you to invite the dragons among dragons."

The householder asked:

"Who are the dragons among dragons?"

The nun replied:

"Such as the Venerable Devadatta, Samandadatta, Khandilādabba, Kokālika, Kaṭamoraka-tissa…"

While she was still speaking, the Venerables Sāriputta and Moggallāna arrived. As soon as the nun saw them, she reversed her words and said to the householder:

"The dragons among dragons have arrived."

The householder then asked the nun:

"Just now you said they were persons of low standing; why do you now call them dragons among dragons? From this day forward, do not come to my house again."

The householder then invited the two Venerables to be seated. The two Venerables went to their seats and sat down. The householder offered them delicious, nourishing food and drink. When the two Venerables had finished eating and had put away their bowls, the donor paid homage at their feet, took a small stool and sat to one side, and said:

"I wish to hear the Dharma."

The two Venerables taught the householder various wondrous teachings, encouraging him and causing him to rejoice. Having taught the Dharma to the donor, the two Venerables rose from their seats and departed, returning to the monastery. They went to where the Blessed One was, paid homage at the Buddha's feet, and sat to one side. The Blessed One, knowing yet still asking, said to the Venerables Sāriputta and Moggallāna:

"Did you two receive a sufficient meal today?"

The Venerables Sāriputta and Moggallāna said to the Buddha:

"The food was sufficient, but while we were at the householder's home, we were at one moment persons of low standing and at the next dragons among dragons."

The Buddha asked:

"How did this come about?"

The two Venerables related the full circumstances to the Buddha:

"It was Devadatta who caused his faction of nuns to praise and promote the offering in order to receive food."

The Blessed One, on account of this matter, assembled the Saṅgha of bhikkhus, and knowing yet still asking, questioned the bhikkhus of Devadatta's faction:

"Is it true that you directed a nun to go to the donor's home to praise you and promote food on your behalf?"

The bhikkhus of the faction replied:

"Blessed One, it is true."

The Blessed One rebuked the bhikkhus of Devadatta's faction with numerous means:

"What you have done is wrong, unbecoming of proper conduct, not in accordance with the training of a samaṇa, not of pure practice, not in conformity with proper conduct — it is something that should not be done. How could you direct a nun to persuade donors in order to receive food from them?"

Having rebuked the bhikkhus of Devadatta's faction, the Buddha said to the bhikkhus:

"These foolish men are a field that plants many seeds of the āsavas; they are the first to commit this offense. From this day forward, I shall lay down a rule for the bhikkhus, comprising ten principles of meaning, up to and including the purpose of enabling the true Dharma to long endure."

The rule should be stated as follows:

Whatever bhikkhu directs a nun to persuade donors and thereby receives food — pācittiya.

The Blessed One laid down this rule for the bhikkhus in this way. At that time, some bhikkhus did not know whether there had been promotion or not, and only learned of it afterward; some thus performed the pācittiya confession, and some were in doubt. The Buddha instructed:

"If one did not know beforehand, there is no offense."

From this day forward, the rule should be stated as follows:

Whatever bhikkhu, knowing that a nun has promoted him, receives food — pācittiya.

The Blessed One laid down this rule for the bhikkhus in this way. At that time, in the city of Rājagaha there was a great householder who was a close friend and acquaintance of Revata, and who said:

"If the Venerable Revata comes to Rājagaha, we shall, on account of his arrival, make an offering to the Saṅgha."

A nun who was supported by the householder's family heard these words and silently kept them in mind.

Afterward, when the Venerable Revata arrived at Rājagaha, the nun heard that the Venerable Revata had come and went to tell the householder: "Householder, would you like to know? Revata has arrived at Rājagaha." The householder then sent a trusted person to the monastery to invite the Venerable and the Saṅgha to accept an offering of a meal the following morning.

That night the householder fully prepared an abundance of fine and nourishing food and drink; early the next morning, when the time had come, he invited them to receive the meal.

At that time, the bhikkhus put on their robes, took their bowls, and went to the householder's home, seating themselves in the appointed places. The householder went to where Revata was and said:

"It is on account of the Venerable that I am making this offering to the Saṅgha today."

Revata asked the householder:

"How did you know I had come here?"

The householder replied:

"A nun who is supported by my family informed me."

Revata said to the householder:

"If that is so, then I cannot eat this food."

The householder said:

"It was not because of what this nun said that I arranged today's meal; rather, I had previously made a vow that if the Venerable were to come, I would set forth a meal offering for the Saṅgha."

Revata said to the householder:

"Even though you had made such a vow, I still cannot accept and eat today's meal."

Revata then refrained from eating.

At that time, the bhikkhus went and reported the full matter to the Blessed One. The Buddha said:

"If the donor had a prior intention, there is no offense. From this day forward, the rule should be stated as follows:

Whatever bhikkhu eats food that he knows was promoted and arranged by a nun's praise, except when the donor had a prior intention — pācittiya.

B. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OFFENSE

Bhikkhu: as defined above.

Promotion: such as saying, "This one dwells in the forest, practices the alms-round, wears rag-robes, does not eat after performing the residual-food procedure, eats at one sitting, eats one portion, stays in a charnel ground, sits in the open, sits at the foot of a tree, always sits and does not lie down, keeps only three robes" — or praising in verse, calling one a greatly learned Dharma teacher, a Vinaya master, a meditator, and so forth.

Food: edible things received between morning and noon.

For that bhikkhu to eat food knowing it was promoted by a nun — each swallow constitutes one pācittiya offense. Aside from food in the form of cooked rice, other things known to have been obtained through promotion — such as undergarments, oil lamps, foot-anointing oil — all constitute a dukkaṭa offense. Knowing it is promotion and perceiving it as promotion — pācittiya. Promotion but being in doubt — dukkaṭa. No promotion but perceiving it as promotion — dukkaṭa. No promotion but in doubt — dukkaṭa.

For a bhikkhunī — dukkaṭa. For a sikkhāmānā, a sāmaṇera, or a sāmaṇerī — dukkaṭa. This is called an offense.

Non-offense: if one did not know; or if the donor had a prior intention; or if there was promotion but one perceived it as non-promotion; or if the nun acted on her own initiative, or the donor had the nun take charge without the deliberate intention of promoting — and food was obtained through almsround; in all such cases, there is no offense.

Those who do not offend: one who commits the offense for the first time before the rule was established; one who is insane; one whose mind is disturbed; one who is afflicted with pain; one who acts under duress.

---

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, fascicles 1–21; Vietnamese translation, volumes 1–2)

Buddhist Studies Editorial Board, 2002