Lzh Dg Bu Vb Pc 50Viewing a Military Action

– DHARMAGUPTAKA VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

50. VIEWING AN ARMY IN BATTLE

A. ORIGIN

When the Buddha was staying in the garden of Anāthapiṇḍika, the Jeta Grove, in the country of Śrāvastī. At that time, the group of six bhikkhus heard that the Blessed One had laid down a rule permitting bhikkhus, when there is cause, to stay in an army camp for two or three nights. They then remained in the army camp in order to watch the armies fight in battle, and to watch the elephants and horses of the various sides. Among this group of six, one person was struck by an arrow while watching the armies fight. His fellow bhikkhus then bound his wounds with their robes and carried him back. When the laypeople saw this, they asked the bhikkhus:

"What illness does this one have?"

The bhikkhus replied:

"He has no illness at all. He has just been struck by an arrow while watching the armies fight."

At that time, the laypeople criticized them among themselves:

"It is out of affection and concern that we conduct these military exercises. What business do you who have gone forth have in entering the army camp?"

When the bhikkhus heard this, among them those who were of few desires and contentment, who lived the austere practices, who were fond of training in the precepts, and who possessed a sense of shame and remorse, reproached the group of six bhikkhus: "The Blessed One has laid down a rule permitting bhikkhus who have cause to enter an army camp and to stay for two or three nights. You have already stayed in the army camp for two or three nights. Why did you go further to watch the armies fight in battle, and suffer injury as a result?"

At that time, the bhikkhus went to where the Blessed One was, paid homage with their heads at his feet, and sat to one side. They then reported this matter in full to the Blessed One. The Blessed One, on account of this matter, assembled the community of bhikkhus and rebuked the group of six bhikkhus:

"What you have done is wrong, not in accordance with proper conduct, not in accordance with the Dharma of a renunciant, not in accordance with pure conduct, not in accordance with harmonious behavior — it is an action that should not have been done. Group of six bhikkhus, the Blessed One has permitted bhikkhus only when there is cause to enter an army camp and to stay for two or three nights. Yet having already stayed in the army camp for two or three nights, you then went to watch the armies fight in battle and suffered injury as a result. How could you do this?"

At that time, the Blessed One, having rebuked the group of six bhikkhus with countless skillful means, said to the bhikkhus:

"These foolish persons are a field in which many seeds of defilement are sown — they are the first to commit this offense. From this day forward, I shall lay down this precept for the bhikkhus, comprising ten bases of meaning, up to and including the phrase: so that the true Dharma may long endure."

The precept should be stated as follows:

Whatever bhikkhu, having stayed in an army camp for two or three nights, watches an army fighting in battle, or inspects the strength of the infantry, the elephant corps, or the cavalry — pācittiya.

B. ANALYSIS OF THE PRECEPT

Bhikkhu: meaning as above.

Fight: whether a mock battle or a real battle.

Army: from one military division up to four military divisions. There may be the army of a king, the army of bandits, or the army of laypeople.

Strength: the foremost strength of elephants, the foremost strength of horses, the foremost strength of chariots, the foremost strength of infantry.

Battle formation: a square formation, a circular formation, a crescent formation, a tile-overlapping formation, a diminishing-general formation, the formation of the elephant king, the horse king, the human king.

Whatever bhikkhu goes to watch an army fighting in battle, or the strength of elephants and horses — whether going from this road to that road, from a road to no road, from no road to a road, from high ground to low ground, from low ground to high ground — if he goes to watch and sees, he commits a pācittiya. If he watches but does not see, he commits a dukkaṭa.

If he makes preparations intending to go but does not go, all such cases constitute a dukkaṭa. If a bhikkhu is traveling on the road ahead and an army comes from behind, he should step aside; if he does not step aside, he commits a dukkaṭa.

A bhikkhunī commits a pācittiya. A sikkhāmānā, a sāmaṇera, or a sāmaṇerī commits a dukkaṭa. This is called an offense.

Non-offense: if there is cause; or if one has been invited or requested; or if one is taken away by force; or in case of danger to life or danger to the holy life; or if one is traveling ahead and an army comes from behind and one steps to the side of the road; or if the road by land or by water is cut off, or there are bandits, wild animals, or floods; or if one is forcibly bound, in case of danger to life, or danger to the pure life; in all such cases where one is unable to step to the side of the road, there is no offense.

Those who do not commit an offense: one who commits the act before the precept has been laid down; one who is insane, one whose mind is deranged, one who is afflicted with great suffering and distress.

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

Chinese translation: Tripiṭaka master Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian.

Revised and annotated: Bhikkhu Thích Nguyên Chứng

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

Dharma Publishing Committee 2002