Lzh Dg Bu Vb Sk 45Shaking the Hand

– FOUR-PART VINAYA

– ŚAIKṢA-KARAṆĪYA

RULE 45

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in the garden of Anāthapiṇḍika, Jeta's Grove, in the country of Śrāvastī. At that time, a householder invited the bhikkhus to receive an offering of fine foods the following day. During the night he made full preparations, and early in the morning he came to invite the Saṅgha to come and receive the meal.

The bhikkhus put on their robes, took up their bowls, went to the householder's home, and took their seats. The householder personally served food to the venerable ones. At that time, one among the group of six bhikkhus shook his hand while eating. The householder, seeing this, spoke critically: "These Śākyan monastics have no sense of shame… eating in the manner of a King, or of a King's great minister!"

At that time, the bhikkhus who heard this included those of few desires and contentment, who lived the ascetic practices, who delighted in training in the precepts, who had a sense of shame. They reproached the group of six bhikkhus, then went to the Blessed One, prostrated at his feet, and sat to one side. They 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… up to the words: "From this day forward, I shall lay down a rule for the bhikkhus, comprising ten principles of meaning, up to the words: so that the true Dharma may long endure."

The rule should be stated as follows:

One should not shake one's hand while eating; this is a śaikṣa-karaṇīya.

A bhikkhus who intentionally shakes his hand commits a duṣkṛta requiring confession. Because it is done intentionally, it constitutes a duṣkṛta of improper conduct. If done without intention, it is a duṣkṛta.

For bhikkhunīs, as well as novices and female novices, it is a duṣkṛta. This is called an offense.

Non-offense: if one is ill in some way; or if there is grass or insects in the food; or if there is something impure on one's hand and one wishes to shake it off; or if, before eating, one's hand has touched something unclean and one needs to shake it off; there is no offense.

Those who do not offend: one who offends for the first time before the rule has been established; one who is insane; one whose mind is disturbed; one who is afflicted and oppressed by pain.

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 Publication Committee, 2002