Lzh Dg Bu Vb Pc 52Playing

– FOUR-PART VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

52. PLAYING IN WATER

A. ORIGIN

At one time, the Buddha was staying in the Anāthapiṇḍika Garden, Jeta's Grove, in the country of Śrāvastī. At that time, a group of seventeen bhikkhus were playing in the river Aciravatī: swimming from one bank to the other, going with the current or against it, diving in one place and surfacing in another, waving their arms to draw patterns on the water, or splashing water at one another.

Just at that moment, King Prasenajit and Lady Mallikā were on an upper floor of the palace, and from afar they saw the group of seventeen bhikkhus playing in that water: swimming from one bank to the other, going with the current or against it, diving in one place and surfacing in another, waving their arms to draw patterns on the water, or splashing water at one another. Upon seeing this, the King said to Lady Mallikā:

"Look — those are the ones you revere."

Lady Mallikā then replied to the King:

"Those bhikkhus are young; they have only recently gone forth and have not been long in the Buddha's Dharma. Or perhaps they are older but lack proper understanding."

Lady Mallikā then quickly descended from the upper floor and said to the brahmin Nāliṅka:

"On my behalf, go to Jeta's Grove and pay respects to the Blessed One — asking whether he is in good health, whether his daily activities are comfortable, and whether the work of teaching is wearisome. Offer this package of rock sugar to the Blessed One, and report this matter to him fully."

That brahmin accepted Lady Mallikā's instructions and went to where the Blessed One was. After paying his respects, he sat to one side and said to the Blessed One:

"Lady Mallikā has sent me to inquire after the Blessed One — 'Are your daily activities going well? Is your manner of living at ease? Is the work of teaching wearisome?' The Lady sends this package of rock candy as an offering to the Blessed One." And he reported the matter to the Blessed One in full.

At that time, the Blessed One, on account of this matter, assembled the Saṅgha of bhikkhus and rebuked the group of seventeen bhikkhus with numerous skillful means:

"What you have done is wrong — it is not proper conduct, not the behavior of a śramaṇa, not pure conduct, not fitting deportment; it is something that should not be done. Group of seventeen bhikkhus, why did you play in the water of the river Aciravatī, swimming from one bank to the other, going with the current or against it, diving in one place and surfacing in another, waving your arms to draw patterns on the water, or splashing water at one another?"

Having rebuked the group of seventeen bhikkhus, the Blessed One said to the bhikkhus:

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

The rule should be stated thus:

Whatever bhikkhu plays in water — a pācittiya offense.

B. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OFFENSE

Bhikkhu: as explained above.

Playing in the water: giving free rein to one's desires — swimming from one bank to the other, going with the current or against it, diving in one place and surfacing in another, waving one's arms to draw patterns on the water, splashing water at one another, or even filling an alms bowl with water and playing in any manner whatsoever — all of these constitute a pācittiya offense. Apart from water, if one plays using fruit juice, clear milk, bitter ale, or rice-washing water held in a vessel, one also commits a duṣkṛta offense.

A bhikkhunī — pācittiya. A śikṣamāṇā, a śrāmaṇera, or a śrāmaṇerī — duṣkṛta. These are called offenses.

Non-offense: Wading across a river in the course of traveling, going from one bank to the other; or pulling timber through the water; or pulling bamboo or reeds upstream or downstream; or taking up stones or sand; or diving to the bottom to search for a lost object, diving down and surfacing again; or wishing to learn to swim and therefore using one's arms to move through the water — all of these involve no offense.

Those who do not commit an offense: one who commits it for the first time before the rule has been laid down; one who is mentally deranged; one whose mind is disturbed; one who is afflicted with pain; one who acts under compulsion.

Vietnamese translation: Bhikkhu Thích Đỗng Minh and Thích Đức Thắng. FOUR-PART 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, fascicles 1, 2)

Buddhist Studies Editorial Board, 2002