Lzh Dg Bu Vb Pc 48Seeing a Mobilized Army

– DHARMAGUPTAKA VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

48. VIEWING BATTLE FORMATIONS

A. ORIGIN

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in the garden of Anāthapiṇḍika, in the Jeta Grove, in the country of Śrāvastī. At that time, in a certain region of King Prasenajit's realm, the people had revolted, and the King had to personally lead his sixfold army on a punitive campaign.

At that time, the group of six monks went there to watch the military formations. King Prasenajit asked:

"What purpose brings the venerable ones into the midst of the three armies?"

The group of six replied:

"We have no particular purpose. We have merely come to look."

King Prasenajit, upon hearing this, was displeased. He then asked:

"Where do you intend to go?"

The group of six said:

"We shall go to the country of Śrāvastī to pay our respects to the Blessed One."

The King said:

"If the venerable Elder Monks are going to the country of Śrāvastī, please on my behalf pay homage and inquire after the Blessed One: whether his sitting and reclining are at ease, whether his walking and standing are in good health, and whether the work of teaching and transforming beings is too arduous. I ask that you present this package of rock sugar as an offering to the Blessed One, and that the venerable Elder Monks report this matter fully to the Blessed One."

At that time, the group of six monks proceeded to the Jetavana Monastery in the country of Śrāvastī, paid homage at the feet of the Blessed One, and then sat to one side. On behalf of King Prasenajit, they paid homage and inquired after the Blessed One: "whether his sitting and reclining are at ease, whether his walking and standing are in good health, and whether the work of teaching and transforming beings is too arduous." They presented the package of rock sugar to the Blessed One, and reported the above matter to the Blessed One in full.

The Blessed One used this matter as cause to rebuke the group of six monks:

"What you have done is wrong. It is not proper conduct, not the way of a śramaṇa, not pure practice, not comportment in accordance with the Dharma; it is doing what ought not to be done. You are truly foolish men. How could you go to view the military might and battle formations of the King?"

Having rebuked the group of six monks by means of countless skillful means, the Blessed One said to the monks:

"These foolish men are a field in which many seeds of the āsravas are planted; they are the first to commit this offense. From this time forward, I shall lay down a precept for the monks, based on ten principles, up to and including the purpose that the true Dharma may long endure."

The precept should be stated thus:

Whatever monk goes to view battle formations — pācittiya.

The Blessed One laid down the precept for the monks in this way. Now, at that time, in a certain region of King Prasenajit's realm, the people revolted again, and the King sent two great ministers who were brothers — the elder named Ṛṣidatta and the younger named Pūraṇa — to lead the army on a punitive campaign. These two great ministers, out of reverence and longing, wished to meet with monks, and so they dispatched a messenger to invite the venerable monks to come so that the two of them might see them. The monks, being cautious and apprehensive, said that the Blessed One had laid down the precept: "If any monk goes to view battle formations — pācittiya."

At that time, the monks came and reported this to the Blessed One. The Buddha said:

"If there is a matter requiring a report, or if one has been invited, then permission is granted to go."

From this point forward, the precept should be stated thus:

Whatever monk goes to view battle formations — pācittiya — except when the occasion is appropriate.

B. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OFFENSE

Monk: as defined above.

Formations: either battle engagements or combat encounters.

Army: either one division, two divisions, three divisions, or four divisions.

— One division: one elephant corps, one cavalry corps, one chariot corps, one infantry corps. Or entirely cavalry, entirely elephant corps, entirely infantry, or entirely chariot corps.

— Two divisions: two elephant units, two cavalry units, two chariot units, two infantry units; or combining elephant and cavalry, or elephant and chariot, or elephant and infantry, or cavalry and chariot, or cavalry and infantry, or chariot and infantry.

— Three divisions: three elephant units, three cavalry units, three chariot units, three infantry units; or elephant, cavalry, and chariot; or elephant, cavalry, and infantry; or cavalry, chariot, and infantry.

— Four divisions: four elephant units, four cavalry units, four chariot units, four infantry units; or elephant, cavalry, chariot, and infantry.

If that monk goes to view the battle formations — whether proceeding from this road to that road, from a road to a non-road, from a non-road to a road; from a low place to a high place, or from a high place to a low place — and upon arrival sees them, he commits pācittiya. If he arrives but does not see them, he commits duṣkṛta.

If he makes preparations intending to look but does not go, all such cases incur duṣkṛta. If a monk is traveling along a road ahead and the army arrives afterward, the monk should move aside to the edge of the road; if he does not move aside, he commits duṣkṛta.

For a bhikṣuṇī — pācittiya. For a śikṣamāṇā, a śrāmaṇera, or a śrāmaṇerī — duṣkṛta. These are called offenses.

Non-offense: if a monk has a matter requiring his presence; or has been invited to come; or is compelled by force; or was traveling ahead and the army arrived afterward and he moved aside to the edge of the road; or if the water route or land route is cut off; or in case of danger from bandits, danger from wild animals, flooding; or if he is bound and led away by force; or in case of danger to life, or danger to the brahmacarya, and he cannot move aside to the edge of the road — then there is no offense.

Those who do not commit an offense: one who commits a violation for the first time before the precept has been laid down; one who is insane; one whose mind is disturbed; one who is afflicted with pain and overwhelmed by suffering.

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

Chinese translation: Tripiṭaka masters Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian.

Revised and annotated: Bhikṣu Thích Nguyên Chứng.

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

Buddhist Studies Editorial Board, 2002.