Lzh Mg Bu Vb Pc 11Damaging Plants

– MAHĀSĀṂGHIKA VINAYA

– PĀYATTIKA PRECEPTS

– CLEARLY EXPLAINING THE THIRD SECTION OF THE SINGLE EXPIATION RULES

11. PRECEPT: CUTTING DOWN LIVING TREES.

When the Buddha was dwelling at the Wilderness Monastery, as described in full above. At that time, the monk who served as steward cut down trees with his own hands, broke off branches and leaves, or picked flowers and fruit. Because of this, people of the world reproached him as follows: "Look at this! The ascetic Gautama employs countless skillful means to censure the taking of life and praises the non-taking of life, yet now he cuts down trees with his own hands, picks flowers, and destroys the life of plants. He has completely lost the deportment of an ascetic—what kind of path is this?"

The monks then brought the matter and reported it to the Blessed One. The Buddha immediately ordered the steward monk to be summoned. When the monk arrived, the Buddha asked: "Monk, did you truly do this?"

The monk replied: "It is truly so, Blessed One."

The Buddha immediately reproached him: "That is a wrongful act. Although there is no sentient life in such things, one must not cause others to form an aversion. You are also capable of creating some small merit—give up these trivial matters. From this day forth, I do not permit monks to cut down trees with their own hands, nor to destroy the villages of spirits." Thereupon the Buddha commanded all the monks dwelling at the Wilderness Monastery to assemble. For the sake of ten benefits, he established this precept for the monks; even those who have already heard it must hear it again:

"If a monk destroys the germinal life of plants or destroys the village of spirits, he commits a Pāyattika offense."

Explanation

Germinal life of plants: There are five kinds: 1. tubers and roots; 2. stems; 3. nodes; 4. pith; 5. shoots. These are called the five germinal lives of plants.

Village of spirits: Large trees, small trees, and grasses.

Destroys: To fell, cut down, or ruin. If one fells, cuts down, or ruins, one commits a Pāyattika offense.

Pāyattika: As explained above.

1. Tubers and roots: Ginger, lotus root, taro, radish, onion. Tubers of plants such as these must be purified by fire (cooked), or peeled clean with a knife. These are called plant tubers.

2. Stems: Such as Nyagrodha, Pippala, Udumbara, and willow. Stems of plants such as these should be purified by fire, or peeled clean with a knife. These are called the various types of stems.

3. Nodes: Such as bamboo, reeds, and cane. Nodes of plants such as these should be purified by fire, or peeled clean with a knife, or the joints of the plant scraped away. These are called nodes.

4. Pith: Such as radish, bitter vegetables, and indigo plants. Things that arise from pith should be purified by fire, or cleaned by rubbing with the hand. These are called pith.

5. Shoots: Comprising seventeen kinds of seeds, as described in the second precept. Shoots of plants such as these should be purified by fire, or by removing their husks. These are called shoots.

The categories of plant seeds include: 1. Kǒuhé zhǒng (naked-kernel seeds); 2. Fū kǒu zhǒng (husked seeds); 3. Qiào kǒu zhǒng (shelled seeds); 4. Cuì kǒu zhǒng (clustered seeds); 5. Jiǎo kǒu zhǒng (pod seeds); 6. Yīngwǔ zhuó (parrot-pecked); 7. Huán chū (passed through); 8. Huǒ shāo (burned by fire); 9. Shí zhǒng (seasonal seeds); 10. Fēi shí zhǒng (off-season seeds); 11. Shuǐ zhǒng (aquatic plants); 12. Lù zhǒng (land plants); 13. Xiān zuò gèng shēng zhǒng (previously processed and regrown seeds);

1. Kǒuhé zhǒng (Naked-kernel seeds): Such as harītakī, vibhītaka, āmalaka, kakkolā, and sour jujube. Fruits of this kind should have their kernels pried out with the fingernail and discarded before eating. If one wishes to eat the kernel as well, it should be cooked. These are called naked-kernel seeds.

2. Fū kǒu zhǒng (Husked seeds): Such as Pippala, gourd, Udumbara, and līnatā. Fruits covered with a husk such as these should be purified by fire. When they are ripe, they fall of themselves from the tree to the ground; if they strike against a tree or stone and a mark appears the size of a mosquito's footprint, they are considered pure. One must not eat the seed whole. If one wishes to eat the seed, it must be cooked. These are called husked seeds.

3. Qiào kǒu zhǒng (Shelled seeds): Such as coconut, walnut, and pomegranate. Fruits with a hard outer shell such as these should be purified by fire, or cracked open. These are called shelled seeds.

4. Cuì kǒu zhǒng (Clustered seeds): Such as aromatic herbs, perilla, and beans. Vegetables of this kind, if they have not yet produced fruit, should be rubbed clean with the hand; if they have already produced fruit, they should be purified by fire. These are called clustered seeds.

5. Jiǎo kǒu zhǒng (Pod seeds): Such as large and small beans, or māṣa beans. Beans of this kind, if they have not yet formed seeds, should be cleaned with the hand; if they have already formed seeds, they should be purified by fire. These are called pod seeds.

6. Yīngwǔ zhuó (Parrot-pecked): When fruits have been pecked open by parrots and have fallen to the ground, bearing a mark the size of a mosquito's footprint, they are considered pure (tịnh); the seeds may be removed and the fruit eaten. If one wishes to eat the seed, it must be purified by fire. These are called yīngwǔ jìng (parrot-purified).

7. Huán chū (Passed through): Seeds that have been eaten by mantises or monkeys and excreted in their dung are considered pure. These are called passed-through seeds.

8. Huǒ shāo (Burned by fire): If fruits are burned by natural fire and fall to the ground, they are considered pure. These are called fire-burned pure seeds.

9. Shí zhǒng (Seasonal seeds): In the ordinary rice season, ordinary rice is planted; in the barley season, barley is planted. Seeds of these kinds should be purified by fire, or by husking. As in the country of Kulindt, when farmers harvest rice and pile it into heaps, fearing that non-human beings will steal it, they sprinkle ash on top as a sign—this is called pure. In the case of a steward monk who has a granary of unhusked grain not yet ritually purified, fearing that young monks may not know the procedure, he instructs the attendant (tịnh nhân) to purify it by fire; the fire burns and spreads, burning down the entire granary. At that time the monk may say, "The grain has all been taken away to be milled," and he does not commit an offense. These are called seasonal seeds.

10. Fēi shí zhǒng (Off-season seeds): Such as harvesting barley during the glutinous rice season, or harvesting glutinous rice during the barley season—these should be purified by fire. These are called off-season seeds.

11. Shuǐ zhǒng (Aquatic plants): Such as the utpala flower, the kumuda flower, and the hương đình flower. The bulbs of these flowers should be purified by fire, or peeled with a knife. These are called aquatic plants.

12. Lù zhǒng (Land plants): Comprising seventeen kinds of rice, which must be husked for purification, or purified by fire. These are called land plants.

13. Xiān zuò hòu shēng (Previously processed and regrown): There are kinds of non-glutinous rice or radish roots which should be purified by fire or peeled with a knife. These are called xiān zuò (previously processed). [Arranged in the order given above.]

In summary, there are the following cases: one may cut off oneself; or order another to cut off; or destroy oneself; or order another to destroy; or smash oneself; or order another to smash; or burn oneself; or order another to burn; or strip the bark oneself; or order another to strip the bark.

Cutting oneself: If one uses skillful means to cut any of the five kinds of plants continuously throughout the day without pause, one commits one Pāyattika offense. If one pauses midway and then resumes cutting, each pause incurs one Pāyattika offense.

Ordering another to cut: If one uses skillful means once to order another to cut for an entire day, one commits one Pāyattika offense. If midway through one says, "Cut faster," each time one says this one commits one Pāyattika offense. All four other cases—destroying, smashing, burning, stripping bark—whether done oneself or ordered to be done by another, incur offenses in the same manner.

If one serves the Sangha as a steward, one must under no circumstances instruct the attendant (tịnh nhân) by saying: "Cut this tree, destroy this tree, smash this tree, strip the bark from this tree." If one says such things, one commits an offense. Therefore one should only say: "Be aware of that tree; clean that tree." Saying this in such a manner incurs no offense.

If one throws the five kinds of plants into a pond, or down a well, or into a latrine, or onto a rubbish heap, one commits a Duṣkṛta (Việt-tì-ni) offense. If as a result the plant withers and dies, one commits a Pāyattika offense.

If a monk, wishing to prevent grass from growing, walks back and forth over it, at the time of walking one commits a Duṣkṛta offense. If one damages plants or grass to the extent of a mosquito's footprint, one commits a Pāyattika offense. If one stands, sits, or lies down in the same manner as above, one incurs offenses in the same way.

If one uses a brush to paint on a tree and damages it to the extent of a mosquito's footprint, one commits a Pāyattika offense.

If moss grows on a boulder and a monk wishes to wash his robe upon it, he must not pull out the moss, but only let the attendant know (implying that he asks them to clear it), and thereafter wash his robe. If the moss has been dried out by the sun, he may remove it with his own hand without incurring an offense.

If after rain trees have fallen to the ground, a monk must not lift them up with his hand; if he lifts them, he commits a Duṣkṛta offense. If he damages a tree, even to the extent of a mosquito's footprint, he commits a Pāyattika offense. If an attendant comes and lifts the tree first, and the monk then assists the attendant, there is no offense.

If the sanghati robe, uttarasanga, antaravasaka, sitting cloth, blanket, cushion, or footwear of a bhikkhu develops mold, he should indicate this to a净人 (净人 = pure attendant, tịnh nhân) so that they may take it out to dry in the sun, after which the bhikkhu may brush it off with his hand.

If mold grows on bread or cakes, he should indicate this to the tịnh nhân (implying that they should clean off the mold), and only after that may he eat it.

If when the meal is being served there are such things as beans, sesame, melons, sugarcane, and the like, the senior elder should ask: "Has the kappiya procedure been performed?" If they reply: "It has not yet been performed," he should instruct them to perform it. If they say: "It has already been performed," then it is permitted to eat.

If a single plate contains several pieces of fruit and the kappiya procedure is performed on one piece, then all the other pieces are also considered to have had the procedure performed. If the fruits are placed on separate plates, then the procedure must be performed for each plate individually.

If sugarcane still has its leaves, the procedure must be performed separately for each stalk. If the sugarcane has no leaves and is bundled together, then the procedure may be performed as with fruit.

If a bhikkhu observes the Rains Retreat in a forest hermitage (āraṇya) where grass has grown and covered the path, and out of fear of losing the path he grasps two clumps of grass and ties them together, he commits a Dukkhaṭa offense. If he uses some other object to tie as a marker and proceeds on his way, and upon returning unties it, there is no offense.

If a bhikkhu is in the mountains and during rain the roads and paths are muddy and slippery, and while walking he slips and nearly falls and grabs at grass so that the grass breaks, and then grabs at another, there is no offense.

If he is swept away by water and a bhikkhu seizes grass causing it to break, there is likewise no offense.

If while plastering a clay wall he becomes thirsty and wishes to drink water, but his hands are covered with mud, he may use a leaf from a tree to scoop up water to drink. If there is no tịnh nhân to fetch a leaf, he may climb the tree and use a fresh leaf to hold water and drink; however, he must not snap the leaf off. If the tree is too tall to use conveniently, he may bend the tree down and use a dry leaf to scoop water to drink. If a bhikkhu snaps off a fresh, tender leaf, he commits a Pācittiya offense.

If he causes a leaf with many firm, hard ribs to break off, he commits a Pācittiya offense. If he snaps off a yellowed leaf, he commits a Dukkhaṭa offense. If the wind blows down any of the three kinds of leaves (fresh, yellowed, and dry) and he then picks them up to use, there is no offense.

If a bhikkhu picks fresh fruit, he commits a Pācittiya offense. If he picks fruit that is nearly ripe, he commits a Dukkhaṭa offense. If he picks ripe fruit, there is no offense.

If a bhikkhu is traveling and at night lies down to sleep on fresh grass while thinking it is dry grass, he commits a Dukkhaṭa offense. Or if it is dry grass and he thinks it is fresh grass, he also commits a Dukkhaṭa offense. If it is fresh grass and he perceives it as fresh grass, he commits a Pācittiya offense. If it is dry grass and he perceives it as dry grass, there is no offense.

If within a city or village there is an ancestral hall or shrine where there are trees with branches and leaves, even if they are dry, he must not break off and take them. If he does break them off, he commits a Dukkhaṭa offense. The four cases regarding trees are the same as those stated above concerning fresh grass.

If a bhikkhu needs water for washing after defecating or urinating and must go to a pond to fetch water, but the surface of the pond is covered with water hyacinth, he must not use his hand to fan the water hyacinth aside to get to the water. Instead, he should look for a path used by cattle, horses, snakes, or frogs. If there is no such path, he should take a clod of earth, throw it up into the air, and say the following: "Rise up to the Brahma realm." After waiting for the clod of earth to fall down, he may then fan the floating plants aside and take the water for use, and there is no offense.

However, if he causes the aquatic plants to be overturned and submerged, he commits a Dukkhaṭa offense. If he scoops up the aquatic plants and throws them onto the bank, he commits a Pācittiya offense.

When entering a pond to bathe, if fresh grass becomes entangled on his body, he should pour water over it to wash it back down into the water. If he pulls up mushrooms in the morning, he commits a Dukkhaṭa offense. If when gathering dry cow dung he also pulls up fresh grass along with it, he commits a Pācittiya offense. Therefore it is said (as above).

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Vietnamese translation: Thích Phước Sơn. MAHĀSĀṂGHIKA VINAYA

Chinese translation: TRIPIṬAKA BUDDHABHADRA OF INDIA

TOGETHER WITH ŚRAMAṆA FAXIAN, TRANSLATED DURING THE EASTERN JIN DYNASTY

Reviewed for meaning by: Thích Đỗng Minh