Lzh Dg Bu Vb Pc 82Precious Things

– FOUR-PART VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

82. TAKING HOLD OF PRECIOUS THINGS

A. ORIGIN OF THE RULE

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in the Anāthapiṇḍika Garden, Jeta's Grove, in the land of Śrāvastī. At that time, a lay follower of an outer sect, traveling through the land of Kosala, stopped to rest by the roadside and forgot a bag containing one thousand taels of gold. Shortly thereafter, a group of monks was traveling along the same road, and they also stopped to rest at the very place where the lay follower had rested. The monks saw the bag of gold lying on the ground and said to one another: "We should take it with us. If any owner comes to know of it, we will return it to them." Having said this, they carried it along.

The lay follower who had forgotten the bag of gold had gone several miles before remembering it, and he quickly turned back.

The monks saw him from a distance and said to one another:

"That person hurrying in the opposite direction must be the owner of the gold."

When he approached, the monks asked:

"Where are you going?"

The lay follower said:

"Just go on your way. Why do you ask about my affairs?"

The monks said:

"We wish to spare you a needless trip."

The lay follower, surprised, said:

"I rested at that place back there and forgot a bag of gold, so I am returning to retrieve it."

The monks then produced the bag of gold and asked:

"Is this not the item belonging to you?"

The lay follower said:

"This is indeed my bag. But why is the contents short?"

The monks said:

"Truly, we found only the bag as it was."

The lay follower then went to the authorities to lodge a complaint.

At that time, King Prasenajit was personally presiding over judgment. The King had the monks summoned and asked:

"Venerable Ones, how is this matter? Is what this man says true?"

The monks replied to the King:

"We found only the bag as it was; we saw nothing else."

The lay follower said:

"The gold belonging to me was of such-and-such an amount."

The King then ordered someone to bring gold equal to the amount the lay follower had stated and told the man to put it into the bag—but the bag could not hold that amount. The King then said to the lay follower:

"This being the case, this is not your property. Go and search elsewhere."

The King then punished the man for making a false accusation and confiscated his assets, so that all his gold was taken into the royal treasury.

At that time, some monks heard of this, and among them were those who were of few desires and contentment, who practiced the austere dhūta qualities, were fond of training in the precepts, and who knew shame and remorse. They reproached the monks, saying:

"Why did you take gold and silver with your own hands, so that the lay follower was punished by the authorities, had his assets confiscated, and all his wealth entered into the royal treasury?"

The monks went to the World-Honored One, bowed at his feet, and sat to one side. They then reported this matter in full to the World-Honored One. The World-Honored One, on account of this, assembled the community of monks and rebuked those monks, saying:

"What you have done is wrong—it is not in accordance with proper conduct, it is not in accordance with the Dharma of a śramaṇa, it is not in accordance with pure conduct, it is not in accordance with harmonious behavior, and it is something that should not have been done. Why did you take gold and silver with your own hands, causing the King to punish the lay follower and confiscate his assets?"

The World-Honored One rebuked those monks by means of countless expedient teachings, and then said to the monks:

"These foolish ones are a field for planting many seeds of the āsravas; they are the first to transgress this precept. From this day forward, I shall set forth the precepts for the monks, comprising ten principles of meaning, up to and including the phrase 'for the long endurance of the true Dharma.'"

The precept should be expressed as follows:

Should any monk, with his own hand, take hold of a precious thing or a precious ornament, or cause another to take hold of one, it is a pācittiya offense.

The World-Honored One thus established this precept for the monks. At that time in the city of Śrāvastī, according to the custom of the world, it was the day of the women's festival. Viśākhāmātā adorned herself with garlands and ornaments and was passing by the Jetavana Monastery. Her faith and reverence arose, and she thought: "What need have I of the women's festival? I should now go to the place of the World-Honored One to pay my respects and inquire after him."

Viśākhāmātā then turned back and entered the Jetavana Monastery. She then thought to herself: "I should not go before the World-Honored One wearing these garlands and ornaments. I should remove them first, and only then go to pay my respects."

She then brought her precious robes and garlands to the base of a tree, removed them, and gathered them into a large heap. She then went to the World-Honored One, bowed at his feet, and stood to one side. The World-Honored One then taught the Dharma by means of expedient means, illumining and delighting her. After Viśākhāmātā had heard the Tathāgata teach the Dharma, she rejoiced, bowed at the feet of the Buddha, circumambulated him, and took her leave.

At that time, her mind still absorbed in the Dharma, she walked straight out through the gate of the Jetavana Monastery, forgetting to go and retrieve her precious robes and garlands and ornaments. When she arrived home, she remembered, and thought: "If I send someone to fetch them and they are not there, it could bring disgrace upon the monks." Thus she did not send a messenger to retrieve them.

A monk who had seen Viśākhāmātā go to the base of the tree when she entered the Jetavana Monastery, but not go there when she departed, went to the spot and found the ornaments, garlands, and precious robes gathered in one place. His mind filled with doubt, he did not dare to take them, and he thought: "The World-Honored One has established the precept: should any monk take hold of a precious thing or a precious ornament with his own hand, or cause another to take hold of one, it is a pācittiya offense." That monk went and reported this to the Buddha, and the Buddha said:

"From this day forward, within a monastery, when an abandoned object is found, it is permitted to take it and store it so that it will not be lost."

The precept should henceforth be expressed as follows:

Should any monk, with his own hand, take hold of gold, precious things, or precious ornaments, or cause another to take hold of them, it is a pācittiya offense. Except within a monastery.

The World-Honored One thus established this precept for the monks. At that time, a group of monks traveling through the land of Kosala stopped on their journey at a village where there was no lodging, and inquired:

"Is there anywhere here with an empty room where we might rest for the night?"

The people there said:

"There is a goldsmith's house here with an empty room. You may go there to rest."

The monks went to the goldsmith's house and said:

"We wish to ask for lodging for one night—is this possible?"

The goldsmith replied:

"Certainly."

The monks entered, spread grass mats, sat down properly, straightened their bodies and minds, and kept mindfulness before them. On that day, the goldsmith had in his house various items: processed gold, unprocessed gold, and gold items partly worked; processed silver, unprocessed silver, and silver items not yet completed. That night, the monks remained awake the whole night guarding these things, fearing that thieves might come and take them. The next morning, the goldsmith entered the room and asked the monks:

"Venerable Ones, did you sleep well last night?"

The monks replied:

"We did not sleep."

The goldsmith then asked:

"Why could you not sleep?"

The monks replied:

"You had left a number of precious items in this room. We spent the whole night watching over them and so could not sleep."

The monks then reported this matter to the World-Honored One, and the World-Honored One said:

"From this day forward, it is permitted that monks, when temporarily lodging for the night in another person's house, if there are precious items in that house, may take them and store them so that they will not be lost."

The precept should henceforth be expressed as follows:

Should any monk, with his own hand, take hold of a precious thing or a precious ornament, or cause another to take hold of them, it is a pācittiya offense. Except within a monastery or at a lodging place. If within a monastery or at a lodging place a monk takes hold of a precious thing or a precious ornament with his own hand, or causes another to take hold of them, he should think: "If the owner recognizes it, they will receive it back." Only with this intention, and for no other reason.

B. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PRECEPT

Monk: meaning as above.

Precious things: gold, silver, true pearls, amber, mother-of-pearl, agate, lapis lazuli, coral, jade, ivory.

Ornaments made of precious things: copper, iron, lead, tin, white wax; ornaments fashioned from precious things.

If a monk, while in a monastery or in a house, picks up with his own hand or instructs another to pick up precious objects or ornaments made of precious materials, he should take note of the appearance of the pouch, the appearance of its interior, and the appearance of how it is tied. He should open the pouch and examine it, so as to know how many pieces are fastened together, how many are separate, how many are square, how many are round, how many are old, and how many are new.

If someone comes to inquire, he should ask them: "What does your object look like?" If they describe it correctly, he should return it to them. If they do not describe it correctly, he should say to them: "I did not see any such object." If two people both come to inquire, he should ask: "What is the appearance of your object?" If they describe it correctly, he should return it. If they do not describe it correctly, he should say to them: "I did not see any such object." If both persons describe it correctly, he should bring the object out before them and say: "This is your object.

Take it."

If a monk, while in a monastery or in a house, picks up with his own hand or instructs another to pick up precious objects or ornaments made of precious materials, and does not take note of the appearance of the pouch, the appearance of the wrapping, or the appearance of how it is tied, he commits a dukkaṭa. If he does not open it to examine and know how many pieces are fastened together, how many are not fastened together, how many are square, how many are round, how many are new, and how many are old, all such cases constitute a dukkaṭa.

For a bhikkhunī: a pācittiya. For a sikkhāmānā, a sāmaṇera, or a sāmaṇerī: a dukkaṭa. These are called offenses.

Non-offense: If, upon entering a monastery or a lodging place for the night, one picks up with one's own hand or instructs another to pick up precious objects or ornaments made of precious materials; if one takes note of the appearance of the pouch, the appearance of its interior, and the appearance of how it is tied; if one opens the wrapping and examines it, knowing how many pieces are fastened together and how many are not yet fastened together, how many are square, how many are round, how many are new, and how many are old; and if two people both come to inquire, one asks: "What is the condition of your object?" If they describe it correctly, one returns it.

If they do not describe it correctly, one says to them: "I did not see any such object." If both persons describe it correctly, one brings the object out before them and says: "That is your object. Take it." If the objects are decorative offerings for a stūpa or temple, kept for the sake of their long preservation, one should store them away. All such cases are without offense.

Those without offense: one who offends for the first time before the rule has been established, one who is insane, one whose mind is deranged, one who is overcome with pain and distress.

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

Chinese translation: Tripiṭaka masters Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian.

Revision and annotation: Bhikkhu Thích Nguyên Chứng

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

Buddhist Studies Editorial Board, 2002