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– DHARMAGUPTAKA VINAYA

– ŚAIKṢA-KARAṆĪYA

RULE 47

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in the Anāthapiṇḍika Garden, the Jeta Grove, in the country of Śrāvastī. At that time, a householder invited the bhikkhus to a meal offering of fine foods the following morning. Having made full preparations during the night, early in the morning he came to invite the Sangha to attend the meal.

The bhikkhus, having put on their robes and taken 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, a group of six bhikkhus took up the drinking vessel with unclean hands. The householder saw this and reproached them, saying: "These Śākyan monastics have no sense of shame… and yet they take up the drinking vessel with unclean hands, just like a King or a King's great minister."

The bhikkhus heard this. Among them were those who were of few desires and who knew contentment, who practiced the dhūta qualities, who were fond of training in the precepts, and who possessed a sense of shame and remorse. They criticized the group of six bhikkhus and then went to the World-Honored One, paid homage at his feet, and sat to one side. They then reported this matter fully to the World-Honored One.

The World-Honored One, using this matter as a cause and condition, assembled the Sangha of bhikkhus and reprimanded the group of six bhikkhus… as above, up to the passage: "From now on, I shall set forth a rule for the bhikkhus consisting of ten bases of meaning," up to the passage, "so that the true Dharma may long endure."

Wishing to speak the rule, it should be spoken thus:

One should not take up a drinking vessel with unclean hands — this is a śaikṣa-karaṇīya.

Here, "unclean hands" means that there is rice adhering to the hands.

If a bhikkhu intentionally takes up a vessel for food with unclean hands, he commits a duṣkṛta requiring confession. Because it is done intentionally, this constitutes a duṣkṛta of improper conduct. If it is done unintentionally, he commits a duṣkṛta.

For a bhikkhunī, and likewise for a śrāmaṇera, śrāmaṇerī — duṣkṛta. This is called an offense.

Non-offense: if one is afflicted with such an illness, or if one receives food on grass or leaves, then one may wash one's hands before receiving; there is no offense.

Those who do not offend: one who offends for the very first time before the rule has been established; one who is mad, of confused mind, or tormented and oppressed by pain.

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

Chinese translation: Tripiṭaka masters Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian.

Revised and annotated by: Bhikkhu Thích Nguyên Chứng.

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

Buddhist Publication Committee, 2002.