Lzh Mg Bu Pn 12Beings

– MAHĀSĀṂGHIKA VINAYA

– CLARIFICATION OF THE ELEVENTH MISCELLANEOUS RECITATION CHAPTER.

BEINGS.

When the Buddha was residing in the city of Rājagṛha, at that time the householder Ugga held a great almsgiving assembly, offering five hundred elephants and up to five hundred slaves. The bhikkhus' minds gave rise to doubt, and they went to ask the Buddha whether this was pure or impure, whether they should accept or not accept. The Buddha taught: "All beings are not permitted to be accepted. Beings such as: elephants, horses, cows, water buffaloes, donkeys, goats, deer, deer, pigs, slaves, and all other beings whatsoever must not be accepted.

If someone says: 'I offer this maidservant to the Saṅgha,' it must not be accepted.

If they say: 'I offer to the Saṅgha this woman as a gardener,' it must not be accepted.

If they say: 'I offer to the Saṅgha this male servant,' it is not permitted to be accepted.

If they say: 'I offer to the Saṅgha this attendant,' it must not be accepted.

If they say: 'I provide to the Saṅgha this male净人 (kappiya-kāraka, pure attendant),' it is permitted to be accepted.

If they bring a maidservant to offer to a bhikkhu, it is not permitted to be accepted. Or if they offer a male servant, an attendant, or a gardener — none of these are permitted to be accepted.

If they offer a净人 (pure attendant) to assist the monastic community, it is permitted to accept.

If they offer a male servant to the community of bhikkhunīs, it is not permitted to be accepted.

If they offer a gardener, it is likewise not permitted to be accepted. Or if they offer a maidservant, it is likewise not permitted to be accepted.

If they say: 'I provide to the community of bhikkhunīs this female净人 (pure attendant),' it is permitted to be accepted.

If they offer individually to a bhikkhunī a male servant, it is not permitted to be accepted. Or if they offer a gardener, it is likewise not permitted to be accepted.

If they offer a female pure attendant to assist the Saṅgha, it is permitted to be accepted.

If a donor organizes a celebration of the Buddha's birth, a celebration of the Buddha's attainment of enlightenment, a commemoration of the Turning of the Wheel of the Dharma, a commemoration of Rāhula, a commemoration of Ānanda, or a quinquennial great assembly, and a donor with faithful and joyful heart adorns elephants and horses and offers them to the monastic community, it is not permitted to be accepted.

If a donor brings parrots, peacocks, chickens, goats, deer, or antelope to offer as a donation, they must not be accepted.

If they say: 'If you do not accept it, I will kill it,' one should say: 'You should release it with your own hand.' Once they have released it, one should provide it with food and drink, care for it, and not let it be harmed. One must not cut its wings and lock it in a cage. If it is able to fly and go to sustain itself on its own, it should be set free and must not be confined.

If one accepts beings, one commits a Duṣkṛta (Thullaccaya/Vītikkama) offense.

This is what is called beings.

TREES.

When the Buddha was residing in the city of Śrāvastī, at that time a donor had planted mango trees in the garden of the monastic community, and then a bhikkhu cut down those trees to build a room for a householder. When the room was completed, the householder organized an almsgiving of beds and bedding and invited the monastic community to come for an offering. At that time, the donor who had previously planted the mango trees was also present. Seeing this, he asked the bhikkhu who had felled the trees:

—Venerable sir, whose room is this?

—This is the room of householder such-and-such.

—Venerable sir, why did you take the trees I planted and use them to build a room for someone else? This room should be mine.

On account of this, his heart was displeased, and he went to where the Buddha was, bowed his head in reverence at the Buddha's feet, and stood to one side, then fully recounted the matter to the Blessed One. The Buddha then expounded the Dharma, teaching and instructing him so that he received benefit and was gladdened, and he paid homage at the Buddha's feet and departed with joy. Then the Buddha had that bhikkhu called to come. When the bhikkhu arrived, the Buddha asked:

—Bhikkhu, did this matter truly occur?

—It truly did, Blessed One!

—Why did you cut down a tree bearing flowers and fruit to build a room? From this day forward, I do not permit the felling of trees that bear flowers and fruit. Trees that bear flowers and fruit include: the mango tree, the hibiscus tree, the bilva tree, the kapittha tree, the panasa tree, the coconut palm, the aśoka tree, the campaka tree, the jāti tree, the atimuktaka tree — in general, all trees bearing flowers and fruit of a similar kind must not be felled to build rooms.

If a tree is old and bears no flowers or fruit, one should say to the donor: 'Elder, this tree is already old; using it to build a room for the Saṅgha to dwell in will bring you merit.' If the owner agrees, it may be taken. If they do not agree, it must not be taken. If the use of timber would cause harm to the ground, one should instruct the pure attendant to press fish bones into the ground, or to sprinkle ash-water upon it.

If a tree has already died, one should say to the donor: 'This tree has already dried out; I have need of it.' If they agree, it is permitted to take and use it.

If a bhikkhu fells a tree bearing flowers and fruit, he commits a Duṣkṛta offense.

This is what is called trees.

THE MATTER OF BURNING FIREWOOD.

When the Buddha was residing in the city of Śrāvastī, at that time there was a monastery at the edge of a village, and a visiting bhikkhu came there and cut firewood. The resident bhikkhu, seeing this, said: 'Why do you chop and destroy the trees that we laboriously planted? You are a guest; when you come here you should simply find a cool shady spot and sit.

You do not know to take care of them with affection, yet you chop and destroy recklessly, with no understanding of my hardship — tomorrow you should leave.' Having said this, he went on his alms round. After he had gone, the visiting bhikkhu then chopped both dry wood and green wood, piled them in a heap before the room, and set them alight. When the resident bhikkhu returned from his alms round and saw this, he said: 'Why did you chop both dry and green wood, pile them up, and set them on fire?' The visiting bhikkhu replied: 'Why is it that you may take firewood and burn it but you obstruct me?' The two bhikkhus quarreled in this way.

Then they went together before the Buddha, bowed their heads, paid homage at the Buddha's feet, and fully recounted the matter. The Buddha then said to the two bhikkhus: 'You must not permit yourselves to take while obstructing others, and likewise you must not chop both dry and green wood, pile them in a heap before the room, and set them alight — you must learn to preserve things in common. The use of firewood must have standards: so much for burning in the heated room, so much for fueling the kitchen stove, so much for use in the bathhouse, so much for use in the private room — it must be divided with measure, and one must not take beyond the allotted amount.

If no prior division has been made, then burning a large amount incurs no offense. I do not permit the cutting of green timber; only dry timber may be cut. One must not fell the fine-looking trees growing around the monastery.

As for trees in the forests and mountains where no one is keeping watch, cutting them incurs no offense.' This is what is called the matter of burning firewood.

THE MATTER OF FLOWERS.

When the Buddha was residing in the city of Śrāvastī, at that time a visiting bhikkhu came to a monastery beside a village and picked flowers. The resident bhikkhu said: 'Why do you pick flowers? I labored to plant them and then tended and watered them.

You are a guest coming here; you need only find a shady spot and sit — you must not arbitrarily break and damage things according to your own wishes, and then depart tomorrow without understanding my hardship.' Having said this, the resident bhikkhu went on his alms round. After he had gone, the visiting bhikkhu then broke off branches that had already flowered and branches that had not yet flowered indiscriminately, and piled them in a heap before the room.

When the resident bhikkhu returned from his alms round and saw the pile of flowers, he said: 'Why did you break off the flowers?'

The visiting bhikkhu asked in return: 'Why is it that you may break them off but you obstruct me?'

After the two had finished quarreling, they went together before the Buddha and reported the matter in full. The Buddha then said to the resident bhikkhu: 'You must not break off flowers yourself and then obstruct others; rather, you must cherish and preserve them. As for the visiting bhikkhu, he likewise must not arbitrarily break off both flowered branches and unflowered branches and pile them in a heap before the room.

One who fulfills the following five conditions should be appointed to distribute flowers. The five are: not showing favoritism, not acting from anger, not acting from delusion, not acting from fear, and knowing who has already received flowers and who has not yet received them. These are called the five conditions.

Then the one performing the Karmavācanā should speak as follows:

—May the venerable Saṅgha please listen. Bhikkhu such-and-such is endowed with five qualities. If the time has come for the Saṅgha, the Saṅgha appoints Bhikkhu such-and-such as the one to distribute flowers. This is the motion.

Having made the motion, one performs a single Karmavācanā, up to: 'Since the Saṅgha is satisfied and therefore silent, so this matter shall be carried out.'

The bhikkhu who has received the karman procedure should instruct the净人 (pure attendant) to take care of the flowers. If the flowers are small, they should be measured out with a cup and divided, or estimated by hand and divided. If the flowers are large varieties such as the utpala, campaka, padma, and puṇḍarīka, they should be counted and divided.

If the flowers belong to the Buddha's portion, they should be offered up to the Buddha. If the flowers belong to the Saṅgha, they may be offered at will or exchanged among members. If the flowers are very many, they should be given to a flower-seller with the instruction: "Each day you must give me such-and-such a number of garlands; for the remainder you must pay me such-and-such an amount of money." The money received from selling the flowers may be used to purchase robes for one's private room, or to purchase food for before and after the meal.

If the sum is large, it should be deposited in the monastery's treasury.

This is called the rule for the use of flowers.

THE MATTER OF FRUIT.

The matter of fruit is similar to the manner of using flowers described above. Likewise, after the karman has been performed, the pure attendant must be instructed to take care of the fruit. If the fruit is small, it should be measured out with some implement and divided, or estimated by hand and divided.

If the fruit is large, such as tāla fruit, vilva fruit, coconuts, panasa fruit, and mangoes, they should be counted and divided. If there is an abundance of fruit, it should be given to a fruit-seller with the instruction that each day they must give one such-and-such an amount of fruit, and for the remainder they must pay such-and-such an amount of money. That money should be used to purchase food for before and after the meal.

If there is any surplus, it should be deposited in the monastery's treasury. This is called the rule for the use of fruit.

THE MATTER OF PLANTING TREES.

When the Buddha was residing in the city of Śrāvastī, at that time a certain bhikkhu planted a mango tree on Saṅgha land, tended it until it grew large, and then picked its fruit himself while preventing others from picking it. The bhikkhus said: "Why do you pick the fruit yourself while preventing others from doing so?" He replied: "Because it was I who planted this tree and tended it until it grew large."

The bhikkhus then brought this matter before the Blessed One. The Buddha thereupon instructed: "The one who planted this tree has merit, and therefore should be allowed to enjoy its produce for one year. The rule for enjoying one year is this: If a bhikkhu plants fruit-bearing trees such as mangoes, Jambudvīpa trees, and similar species, he is permitted to harvest the fruit of one tree for one year.

However, if the tree is large and it is not desired that he harvest from one whole tree for the entire year, then he should be permitted to harvest the fruit of one branch each year. If that branch breaks or dries up, then his entitlement ceases. If he has planted an entire orchard, he should be permitted to enjoy it for one full year.

If he wishes to harvest the fruit of one tree each year, that too is permitted.

If someone plants cabbages, onions, or similar vegetables, he is permitted to cut one bundle. If he plants melons or gourds, he is permitted to enjoy one season of fruiting.

This is called the rule for planting trees.

THE RULE FOR PENALIZING OFFENSES.

There are those who commit offenses through bodily action, through speech, or through both body and speech together; or through failure to restrain the body, failure to restrain speech, or failure to restrain both body and speech. In general, offenses are incurred through the body, through speech, or through both body and speech together. Conversely, there is no offense in the following cases: when the body does not act, when the mouth does not speak, when neither body nor speech acts; or when the body is restrained so that no offense is committed, when the mouth is restrained so that no offense is committed, when both body and speech are restrained so that no offense is committed.

In general, when neither the body, the speech, nor both together engage in wrongful conduct, there is no offense.

Question: If someone commits a pārājika offense, how should they be penalized?

Answer: Either they are allowed to return to lay life, or they are permitted to train as a śrāmaṇera, or they are expelled from the Saṅgha.

Question: If someone commits a saṃghāvaśeṣa offense, how should they be penalized?

Answer: If there has been no concealment, the mānatva procedure is administered, after which they are absolved of the offense. If there has been concealment, the parivāsa procedure is administered, followed by mānatva, after which they are absolved of the offense.

Question: If someone commits a niḥsargika offense, how should they be penalized?

Answer: The article involved in the violation should be forfeited before the Saṅgha—if the offender is a senior monk—while bowing down and touching the feet of the presiding confessor. If the offender is a junior monk, he should kneel with palms joined and speak as follows: "Venerable sir, I have committed the offense of keeping a robe beyond the permitted time. I have forfeited it before the Saṅgha and now wish to confess the pāyattika offense." The presiding confessor should ask:

—Do you see that offense?

—Yes, Venerable sir, I see it.

—Do not commit it again!

—I respectfully accept and will uphold this.

Furthermore, for those who commit pāyattika offenses, pratideśanīya offenses, and vinaya transgressions, only the names of the offenses differ; the manner of penalizing them is the same.

This is called the rule for penalizing offenses.

Verse summary:

Vietnamese translation: Thích Phước Sơn. MAHĀSĀṂGHIKA VINAYA

Chinese translation: THE TRIPIṬAKA MASTER BUDDHABHADRA OF INDIA

TOGETHER WITH THE ŚRAMAṆA FAXIAN, TRANSLATED DURING THE EASTERN JIN DYNASTY

Doctrinal verification: Thích Đỗng Minh