Lzh Dg Bu Vb Ss 5Matchmaking

– FOUR-PART VINAYA

– SANGHADISESA

5. MATCHMAKING

A. ORIGIN OF THE RULE

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling on Mount Gijjhakūṭa, in the city of Rājagṛha. At that time, within the city of Rājagṛha there was a bhikkhu named Kāla, who had formerly been a great minister of the King and was well versed in worldly affairs. He devoted himself to acting as a matchmaker in the following manner: he would go to a man and speak about a woman; he would go to a woman and speak about a man.

At that time, the householders of Rājagṛha who desired to arrange marriages all came to rely upon Kāla. Kāla would reply: "Let me first go to that household and make observations." Having made his observations, Kāla would go to the householders and say: "If you wish to form a marital alliance with that family, you may proceed according to your wish." Thereupon the householders would follow his guidance and carry out the marriage arrangements.

When the men and women, having been wed, were pleased with the match, they would joyfully make offerings and speak in praise, saying: "Let Kāla always be caused to enjoy happiness such as we enjoy today. Why so? Because it is through Kāla that we have come to enjoy such happiness.

May Kāla and the other bhikkhus also receive offerings." But if that man and woman, having been wed, were not pleased with the match, they would say: "Let Kāla always be made to suffer affliction such as we suffer today. Why so? Because it was Kāla himself who caused us to enter this marriage, and so we now endure such affliction.

May Kāla and the bhikkhus also endure affliction; may no one make offerings to them." At that time, the householders in Rājagṛha who had no faith in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha spread word among themselves: "If any of you wish to form a marital alliance with a wealthy family of great property and many precious goods, you should go and entrust this matter to the śramaṇas, the sons of the Śākyas; if you make offerings, draw near to them, and pay them reverence at the proper times, you may obtain what you desire.

Why is this? These śramaṇas, sons of the Śākyas, are skilled in matchmaking; they know which man may take which woman, and which woman may be joined with which man." The bhikkhus then heard this rumor; and among them those of few desires and contentment, living the ascetic practices, fond of training in the precepts, and possessed of a sense of shame and remorse, reproached the bhikkhu Kāla: "Why do you act as a go-between, speaking of men to women and women to men?" Having thus reproached him, they went to the place of the Blessed One, prostrated themselves at his feet, and sat to one side, then reported this matter to the Buddha in full.

The Blessed One, on account of this matter, assembled the community of bhikkhus. Knowing full well, he yet deliberately asked Kāla:

"Is it true that you have done such a thing?"

Kāḷudāyin replied:

"Venerable Blessed One, it is exactly as described."

The Blessed One rebuked him:

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

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

"This foolish person is a field in which many defiled seeds are sown; he is the first to commit this offense. From this day forward, I shall establish a precept for the bhikkhus, gathering ten phrases of meaning, so that, ultimately, the true Dharma may long endure."

Wishing to recite the precept, it should be recited thus:

B. THE PRECEPT

Should any bhikkhu act as a go-between, going back and forth between one side and the other; conveying the intentions of a man to a woman, or the intentions of a woman to a man—whether to bring about marriage, or for the purpose of illicit union, even if only for a moment—this is a saṅghādisesa.

C. EXPLANATION OF TERMS

Bhikkhu: as explained above.

Going back and forth: causing the two parties to come to an agreement.

There are twenty categories of women: those under the guardianship of a mother, those under the guardianship of a father, those under the guardianship of both mother and father, those under the guardianship of a brother, those under the guardianship of a sister, those under the guardianship of both brother and sister, those who are their own guardians, those under the guardianship of the Dharma, those under the guardianship of kinsmen, those under the guardianship of relatives of the clan, those who voluntarily become maidservants, those who become maidservants in exchange for clothing, those who become maidservants in exchange for money, those who become maidservants through a partnership arrangement, those who become maidservants because they were swept away by water,

those who become maidservants due to failure to pay taxes, those who are discarded maidservants, those who are maidservants for guests, those who are maidservants under another's guardianship, and those who are maidservants obtained from the frontier regions.

—Under the guardianship of a mother: guarded by the mother.

—Under the guardianship of a father: guarded by the father.

—Under the guardianship of both mother and father, under the guardianship of a brother, under the guardianship of a sister, under the guardianship of both brother and sister: likewise as above.

—Their own guardian: one who is free in her own person.

—Under the guardianship of the Dharma: one who cultivates the brahmacarya.

—Under the guardianship of kinsmen: one who may not associate with those of lower lineage.

—Under the guardianship of clan relatives: one watched over by relatives of the clan.

—Voluntarily a maidservant: one who willingly becomes a maidservant to another.

—A maidservant in exchange for clothing: one whose price is paid in garments.

—A maidservant in exchange for money: one whose price is paid even with a single coin.

—A maidservant through a partnership arrangement: one who shares in a common livelihood and occupation but has not yet undergone the ceremony to become a wife.

—A maidservant because swept away by water: one who was rescued when swept away by water.

—A maidservant due to failure to pay taxes: one taken without payment of tax money.

—A discarded maidservant: one who has been bought back, or who was born within the master's household.

—A maidservant for guests: one who receives hire to serve as a domestic worker in the household.

—A maidservant under another's guardianship: one who receives another's garland of flowers as a token of agreement.

—A maidservant obtained from the frontier regions: one obtained through plunder.

These are the twenty categories.

Men also have twenty categories in the same manner.

D. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OFFENSE

When a man who is under his mother's guardianship, and a woman who is under her mother's guardianship, request a bhikkhu to serve as a messenger and speak to the other party, saying, "Let her become my wife," or saying, "Let her have an illicit union with me, even for a moment or for the duration of a single thought"—if the bhikkhu on his own accepts the commission from one side, goes and speaks to the other side, and then receives the other side's reply and returns to answer the first side, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu on his own accepts the commission, on his own goes to speak to the other side, and sends a messenger to return with the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu on his own accepts the commission, sends a messenger to go and speak, and on his own returns with the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu on his own accepts the commission, together with a messenger goes to speak, and sends a messenger to return with the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu on his own accepts the commission, himself composes a letter and carries it to the other side, and himself carries a letter back as the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu on his own accepts the commission, himself composes a letter and carries it to the other side, and sends a messenger to carry a letter back as the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu on his own accepts the commission, sends a messenger to carry a letter to the other side, and himself carries a letter back as the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu on his own accepts the commission, sends a messenger to carry a letter to the other side, and sends a messenger to carry a letter back as the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

By hand signs, by gestures—the same four cases apply likewise.

If a bhikkhu himself receives a letter, carries it to the other side, and himself carries a letter back as the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu himself receives a letter, carries it to the other side, and then sends a messenger to carry a letter back as the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu himself receives a letter, sends a messenger to carry it to the other side, and then himself carries a letter back as the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu himself receives a letter, sends a messenger to carry the letter to the other side, and then sends a messenger to carry a letter back as the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu himself receives a letter, himself carries a hand sign to the other side, and then himself carries a hand sign back as the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu himself receives a letter, himself carries a hand sign to the other side, and then sends a messenger to carry a hand sign back as the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu himself receives a letter, sends a messenger to carry a hand sign to the other side, and then himself carries a hand sign back as the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu himself receives a letter, sends a messenger to carry a hand sign to the other side, and then sends a messenger to carry a hand sign back as the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

The four cases involving gestures are likewise the same. The four cases involving verbal acceptance are likewise the same. The sixteen cases involving hand signs are likewise the same. The sixteen cases involving gestures are likewise the same.

If a bhikkhu on his own accepts the commission, himself carries a letter to the other side, and himself carries a hand sign back as the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu on his own accepts the commission, himself carries a letter to the other side, and sends a messenger to carry a hand sign back as the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu on his own accepts the commission, sends a messenger to carry a letter to the other side, and sends a messenger to carry a hand sign back as the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu on his own accepts the commission, himself carries a letter to the other side, and himself carries a sign back as the reply—the same four cases apply likewise.

If a bhikkhu on his own accepts the commission, himself carries a hand sign to the other side, and then himself carries it back as the reply—the same four cases apply likewise.

If a bhikkhu on his own accepts the commission, goes to the other side, and returns with the reply, this is a saṅghādisesa. If he on his own accepts the commission, goes to the other side, but does not return with the reply, this is a thullaccaya.

If one speaks along with another but does not accept the commission, then goes to the other side and speaks, and returns with the reply, this is a thullaccaya.

If one accepts the commission but does not go to speak to the other side and does not return with a reply, this is a duṣkṛta.

If one hears the message but does not go to the other side to convey it, and does not return with a reply, it is a dukkhaṭa.

If one does not accept the commission, yet goes to convey the message, and does not return with a reply, it is a dukkhaṭa.

If one reports that the person has already married another, or has gone elsewhere, or has died, or has been carried off by bandits, or is not available — all of these are thullaccayas.

If one returns with a reply stating that the woman has leprosy, cancer, vitiligo, dry scab, madness, hemorrhoids, or a festering sore continuously discharging at the passage of the bodily functions — such a reply constitutes a saṅghādisesa.

If a bhikkhu acts as a go-between once for a woman, he incurs one saṅghādisesa. According as he performs the matchmaking many times or few, speaking clearly, he incurs a saṅghādisesa for each instance; if speaking unclearly, he incurs a thullaccaya.

If by letter, by hand-sign, or by gesture he conveys the message back and forth, it is a saṅghādisesa.

If he makes a gesture and the other person understands, it is a saṅghādisesa; if the other person does not understand, it is a thullaccaya. Excepting the two passages, if he makes reference to any specific bodily part in performing the matchmaking, he incurs a thullaccaya.

If he acts as a go-between for a female deva, a female asura, a female nāga, a female yakkha, a female hungry ghost, or a female animal capable of shape-shifting, speaking clearly, it is a thullaccaya; speaking unclearly, it is a dukkhaṭa. By letter, by hand-sign, or by gesture, if the other party understands, it is a thullaccaya; if the other party does not understand, it is a dukkhaṭa. If he acts as a go-between for a female animal incapable of shape-shifting, it is a dukkhaṭa. If he acts as a go-between for a male, it is a dukkhaṭa.

If a bhikkhu goes back and forth acting as a matchmaker with the perception that he is acting as a matchmaker, it is a saṅghādisesa. If he acts as a matchmaker but has doubt about it, it is a thullaccaya. If he acts as a matchmaker with the perception that it is not matchmaking, it is a thullaccaya. If he does not act as a matchmaker but has doubt that he is doing so, it is a thullaccaya. If he has doubt about whether she is a woman, it is a thullaccaya. If she is a human woman but he perceives her as a non-human woman, it is a thullaccaya. If she is a non-human woman but he perceives her as a human woman, it is a thullaccaya. If she is a non-human woman and he has doubt, it is a thullaccaya.

If a bhikkhu carries a letter on behalf of someone without reading it, it is a dukkhaṭa. If he acts as a messenger for a layperson in other matters, it is a dukkhaṭa. For a bhikkhunī, it is a saṅghādisesa. For a sikkhāmānā, a sāmaṇera, or a sāmaṇerī, it is a dukkhaṭa. These are the cases of offense.

Non-offense: if a man and woman were previously intimate and later became separated, and one brings about their reconciliation; or if one reads and carries a letter on behalf of one's parents who are ill or confined in prison; or if one reads and carries a letter on behalf of an upāsaka who is faithful and diligent but has fallen ill or is confined in prison; or if one reads and carries a letter for the sake of the Buddha, the Dharma, the Saṅgha, a stūpa, or a bhikkhu who is ill — in all such cases as these there is no offense.

Those who do not commit an offense: the first offender before the rule was promulgated; one who is insane, mentally deranged, or in extreme pain and distress.

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

Buddhist Studies Editorial Board, 2002