Lzh Dg Bu Vb Pc 3Malicious Talebearing

– FOUR-PART VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

3. MALICIOUS TALEBEARING

A. ORIGIN

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in the Anāthapiṇḍika Garden, Jeta's Grove, in the country of Śrāvastī. At that time, the group of six bhikkhus were carrying tales from one side to the other; they conveyed the private words of one person to another, and the private words of that other person back to the first.

They continued doing this repeatedly, with the result that disputes arose in the Saṅgha where none had existed before, and disputes that had already arisen could not be brought to an end.

The bhikkhus all wondered: "By what cause and condition has this dispute arisen in the Saṅgha, where previously there was none, and why, once it has arisen, can it not be brought to an end?"

The bhikkhus investigated and found that it was because the group of six bhikkhus had been carrying tales from one side to the other, which had brought about disputes in the Saṅgha — disputes that had not previously existed were now occurring, and once they had arisen, they could not be brought to an end.

At that time, among the community there were those who were of few desires, who were content, who practiced the austere qualities, who loved the training in the precepts, who felt shame, and they rebuked the group of six bhikkhus:

"Why do you carry tales from one side to the other, bringing about disputes in the Saṅgha — disputes that previously did not exist now arising, and once they have arisen, cannot be brought to an end?"

The bhikkhus went to where the Blessed One was, bowed at his feet, sat to one side, and reported this matter to the Blessed One in full. The Blessed One, on account of this matter, convened the assembly of bhikkhus and rebuked the group of six bhikkhus:

"Why do you carry tales from one side to the other, bringing about disputes in the Saṅgha where before there were none, and once disputes have arisen, they cannot be brought to an end?"

At that time, after the Blessed One had rebuked the group of six bhikkhus with numerous skillful means, he addressed the bhikkhus:

"Listen carefully! Long ago, two fierce beasts were companions. One was a lion named Good-Fang, and the second was a tiger named Good-Paw. Day and night they stalked deer together.

"At that time, there was a jackal who always followed behind these two beasts, living off the leftover scraps of meat they left behind. The jackal then secretly thought to himself: 'I cannot go on following behind them like this forever. By some means, I must cause these two fierce beasts to fight and quarrel with each other so that they will no longer travel together.' Having thought this, the jackal went to the lion Good-Fang and said:

"'Good-Fang! I have heard the tiger Good-Paw say: "My birth is the highest; my lineage is the highest; my form surpasses his, my strength surpasses his. Why is this? Because every day I receive the most nourishing and delicious food. The lion Good-Fang follows behind me and lives off the scraps I leave behind."' The jackal then recited a verse:

When Good-Fang heard this, he asked the jackal:

"How do you know this?"

The jackal replied:

"Let the two of you gather together in one place; when you meet, you will know this clearly for yourselves."

Having secretly spoken thus to Good-Fang, the jackal then went to the tiger Good-Paw and said:

"Do you know? The lion Good-Fang has said: 'At present, my lineage and place of birth are all superior, and my strength is also superior. Why is this? Because I always eat the most delicious food; the tiger Good-Paw lives only off the scraps I leave behind.'" The jackal then recited a verse:

When Good-Paw heard this, he asked:

"How do you know this?"

The jackal replied:

"Let the two of you gather together in one place; when you meet, you will know this clearly for yourselves."

Afterward, the two beasts gathered together in one place and looked at each other with eyes full of anger. The lion Good-Fang then thought: 'I cannot strike the tiger without first asking.'

At that time, the lion Good-Fang addressed the tiger Good-Paw in verse:

Good-Paw thought to himself: 'Surely it is the jackal who has stirred up this conflict between us.' The tiger Good-Paw replied to the lion Good-Fang in verse:

The lion Good-Fang then killed the jackal.

At that time, the Buddha addressed the bhikkhus:

"These two beasts were undermined by the jackal; when they assembled in one place and met each other, they were not at ease — how much more so with human beings, when stirred up by others — how could they not be distressed? Why does the group of six bhikkhus stir up conflict on both sides, so that disputes that previously had not arisen now arise, and once disputes have arisen, they cannot be brought to an end?"

After the Blessed One had rebuked the group of six bhikkhus with numerous skillful means, he addressed the bhikkhus:

"These are foolish men; they are a field in which many seeds of the outflows are planted; they were the first to commit this offense. From this day forward, I shall lay down the precept for the bhikkhus, encompassing ten principles, up to and including the aim of the True Dharma enduring for a long time."

The precept should be recited as follows:

Whatever bhikkhu carries tales between two parties — pācittiya.

B. THE NATURE OF THE OFFENSE

Bhikkhu: as defined above.

Carrying tales between two parties: causing a bhikkhu to conflict with a bhikkhu, a bhikkhunī, a śikṣamāṇā, a śrāmaṇera, a śrāmaṇerikā, an upāsaka, an upāsikā, a king, a minister, an outsider, a renunciant of another sect, a śramaṇa, or a brāhmaṇa.

Causing a bhikkhunī to conflict with a bhikkhunī, a śikṣamāṇā, a śrāmaṇera, a śrāmaṇerikā, an upāsaka, an upāsikā, a king, a minister, an outsider, a renunciant of another sect, a śramaṇa, a brāhmaṇa, or a bhikkhu.

Causing a śikṣamāṇā to conflict with a śikṣamāṇā, a śrāmaṇera, a śrāmaṇerikā, an upāsaka, an upāsikā, a king, a minister, an outsider, a renunciant of another sect, a śramaṇa, a brāhmaṇa, a bhikkhu, or a bhikkhunī.

Causing a śrāmaṇera to conflict with a śrāmaṇera, a śrāmaṇerikā, an upāsaka, an upāsikā, a king, a minister, an outsider, a renunciant of another sect, a śramaṇa, a brāhmaṇa, a bhikkhu, a bhikkhunī, a śikṣamāṇā, a śrāmaṇera, or a śrāmaṇerikā.

Causing an upāsaka to conflict with an upāsaka, an upāsikā, a king, a minister, an outsider, a renunciant of another sect, a śramaṇa, a brāhmaṇa, a bhikkhu, a bhikkhunī, a śikṣamāṇā, a śrāmaṇera, a śrāmaṇerikā, or an upāsaka.

Causing an upāsikā to conflict with an upāsikā, a king, a minister, an outsider, a renunciant of another sect, a śramaṇa, a brāhmaṇa, a bhikkhu, a bhikkhunī, a śikṣamāṇā, a śrāmaṇera, a śrāmaṇerikā, or an upāsaka.

Causing a king to conflict with a king, a minister, an outsider, a renunciant of another sect, a śramaṇa, a brāhmaṇa, a bhikkhu, a bhikkhunī, a śikṣamāṇā, a śrāmaṇera, a śrāmaṇerikā, an upāsaka, or an upāsikā.

Causing a minister to conflict with a minister, an outsider, a renunciant of another sect, a śramaṇa, a brāhmaṇa, a bhikkhu, a bhikkhunī, a śikṣamāṇā, a śrāmaṇera, a śrāmaṇerikā, an upāsaka, an upāsikā, or a king.

Causing all outsiders, śramaṇas, and brāhmaṇas to conflict with all outsiders, śramaṇas, and brāhmaṇas, bhikkhus, bhikkhunīs, śikṣamāṇās, śrāmaṇeras, śrāmaṇerikās, upāsakas, upāsikās, kings, or ministers.

Causing conflict: when someone says, "You are of caṇḍāla lineage, of the dung-sweeper lineage, of the basket-weaver lineage, of the cart-maker lineage, of the Kauśika clan, the Kuśī clan, the Vāsudeva clan, the Kāśyapa clan, the Driya clan, the Bhāradvāja clan; a buyer and seller of pigs and sheep, a slaughterer of cattle, a keeper of hawks, a trapper of birds, a hunter, a bandit, a bandit-catcher, a guard of a fortress, a jailer, a blacksmith, a cobbler, a barber; you have committed a pārājika, a saṅghāvaśeṣa, a pācittiya, a pratideśanīya, a sthūlātyaya, a duṣkṛta, or a durvādita."

Speaking of fetters: from anger up to five hundred fetters, a shaved head, blindness, lameness, deafness and muteness. Whatever bhikkhu causes harm in these ways is a bhikkhu who stirs up conflict. If spoken clearly, it incurs pācittiya; if spoken unclearly, it incurs duṣkṛta.

For a bhikkhunī: pācittiya. For a śikṣamāṇā, a śrāmaṇera, or a śrāmaṇerikā: duṣkṛta. This is called committing an offense.

Non-offense: breaking up an evil teacher, breaking up evil companions, breaking up means of destroying the Saṅgha, breaking up assistance for destroying the Saṅgha, breaking up two or three persons performing a formal act (kammā), breaking up an unlawful formal act or a formal act contrary to the Vinaya; or acting on behalf of one who destroys the Saṅgha, destroys a stūpa, destroys a shrine, destroys the preceptor (upajjhāya) or co-preceptor, destroys the teacher (ācariya) or co-teacher, destroys an acquaintance, destroys a friend, destroys those who speak much yet without meaning or benefit and who wish to employ means for purposeless ends—breaking up such persons constitutes 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 insane, of deranged mind, or afflicted and tormented by pain.

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Vietnamese translation: Bhikkhu Thích Đỗng Minh and Thích Đức Thắng. Tứ Phần Luật, 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