Lzh Dg Bu Vb Ss 3Indecent Speech

– DHARMAGUPTAKA VINAYA

– SAṄGHĀDISESA

3. INDECENT SPEECH

A. ORIGIN OF THE RULE

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in the land of Śrāvastī. At that time, Kālodāyin heard that the Blessed One had laid down the rules: "One must not stimulate the genitals to cause emission of semen"; and "One must not make bodily contact with a woman." He then took a door-bolt, went to stand outside the door, and waited for women — the wives of householders and young girls — to come, and said to them:

"Please come into my room to have a look."

Having led them inside the room, Kālodāyin, out of lustful mind, spoke indecent and vile words to them. Those women who were pleased were delighted by those words, while those who were displeased became angry, scolded him, left the room, and spoke to the bhikkhus:

"Venerable Sirs, you should know that I have now encountered something wrong, something unwholesome, something unlawful, something improper, something unseasonable! I always thought this was a place of peace, free from troubles, free from calamities, free from fear. Yet right here I have encountered calamity and fear. It has always been said that water can extinguish fire; yet now fire has arisen within the water. Why do I say this? Kālodāyin invited us into his room and, with lustful intent, spoke vile and wicked words to us. Even when I was at home and my own husband spoke such vile and wicked words to me, I could not accept it — how much less now that a person who has gone forth speaks such deplorable words."

The bhikkhus heard this. Among them, those who were of few desires, who practiced the ascetic rules, who were fond of studying the precepts, who knew shame and remorse, rebuked Kālodāyin… (as stated in full as before); then they went to the Blessed One, paid homage at his feet, sat down to one side, and reported this matter to the Blessed One in full. On account of this matter, the Blessed One assembled the bhikkhus. Seated in the midst of the community, the Blessed One, though knowing, deliberately asked Kālodāyin:

"Did you truly do such a thing?"

Kālodāyin replied:

"Blessed One, it is so."

The Blessed One rebuked him:

"What you have done is wrong, not proper conduct, not the practice of a śramaṇa, not pure conduct, not befitting behavior — it is something that should not be done."

Having rebuked him with countless skillful means, the Blessed One said to the bhikkhus:

"This foolish person is a ground where many seeds of the āsavas are sown; he is the first to transgress this rule. From now on, I shall lay down this rule for the bhikkhus, establishing ten bases of meaning, and so forth, in order that the true Dharma may long endure."

Wishing to recite the rule, it should be recited as follows:

B. THE RULE

Whatever bhikkhu, with lustful intent, speaks lustful, indecent, and wicked words to a woman — in accordance with such indecent and wicked speech — saṅghādisesa.

C. EXPLANATION OF TERMS

Bhikkhu: as explained above.

Lustful intent: as above.

Woman: as above.

Indecent and wicked: that which is contrary to the pure life.

Lustful speech: speaking of the two passages, fair or foul.

D. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OFFENSE

Whether one makes the request oneself, or sends another to make the request, or asks, or answers, or expounds, or speaks, or instructs, or scolds.

Requesting oneself: such as saying, "Do such-and-such things with me in the two passages," or using any number of similar expressions.

Sending another to request: such as saying, "May the gods, Brahmā, water spirits, Maheśvara, and others support me in doing such-and-such things with you," or using similar expressions.

Asking: such as asking, "What are your passages for defecation and urination like? How do you engage with your husband? How do you carry on with men outside?" or using similar expressions.

Answering: "Your passages for defecation and urination are such-and-such. You engage with your husband and with men outside in such-and-such ways," or using similar expressions.

Expounding: the same as speaking.

Instructing: such as saying, "I instruct you to tend to your two passages in such-and-such ways; you will thereby be able to earn the affection and respect of your husband and of men outside," or using similar expressions.

Scolding: such as saying, "You are ruined, putrefied, shriveled, fallen. You do such-and-such things with a donkey," or scolding a person with other such words.

If a bhikkhu speaks indecent words to a woman once, he commits one saṅghādisesa. According to how many indecent words are spoken — many or few — if spoken clearly, each instance incurs one saṅghādisesa. If spoken unclearly, it incurs a thullaccaya.

If by means of hand signs, letters, sending a messenger, or making gestures, he causes the woman to understand, he incurs a saṅghādisesa; if she does not understand, he incurs a thullaccaya. Except for the passages of defecation and urination, speaking well or ill of other bodily parts incurs a thullaccaya. Speaking indecent words to a divine woman, an asurī, a yakṣiṇī, a nāginī, a female animal capable of transformation, a paṇḍaka, or one of dual form — if the other party understands, it incurs a thullaccaya; if the other party does not understand, it incurs a dukkaṭa.

If by means of hand signs, letters, sending a messenger, or making gestures he causes such women to understand, he incurs a thullaccaya; if they do not understand, he incurs a dukkaṭa. Speaking indecent words to an animal incapable of transformation incurs a dukkaṭa. Speaking indecent words directed toward a man incurs a dukkaṭa.

If a bhikkhu, with lustful intent, speaks indecent words and perceives them as indecent words, he incurs a saṅghādisesa. Speaking indecent words while in doubt incurs a thullaccaya. What is not indecent speech but is perceived as indecent speech incurs a thullaccaya.

What is not indecent speech but is regarded with doubt incurs a thullaccaya.

With a human woman, perceiving her as a human woman: saṅghādisesa. With a human woman, with doubt: thullaccaya. With a human woman, perceiving her as a non-human woman: thullaccaya. With a non-human woman, perceiving her as a human woman: thullaccaya.

Toward a sikṣamāṇā, a śrāmaṇera, or a śrāmaṇerī: dukkaṭa. These are called offenses.

Non-offense: if one teaches a woman the contemplation of impurity, saying, "You should know, dear sister, that this body has nine sores, nine orifices, nine places of discharge, nine streams of flow. The nine orifices are: the two eyes, the two ears, the two nostrils, the mouth, the passage of defecation, and the passage of urination." When speaking of this impurity, if the woman considers it indecent speech — or when teaching the Vinaya, in the course of which this topic arises in sequence and the other person calls it indecent speech; or when seeking to study a sūtra, or when two people receive the same instruction together; or when she has asked a question; or when reciting together; or when speaking in jest; or speaking to oneself; or speaking hastily; or speaking in a dream;

or when intending to speak of one matter but mistakenly speaking of another — none of these constitute an offense.

Those who are not offenders: the first offender before the rule was laid down; one who is mentally deranged; one whose mind is disturbed; one who is tormented and afflicted.

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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, volumes 1 and 2)

Buddhist Studies Publication Committee, 2002