Lzh Mg Bu Vb Pc 68Travelling by Arrangement

– MAHĀSĀṂGHIKA VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA RULES

– CLEARLY EXPLAINING THE EIGHTH SECTION OF THE 92 SINGLE EXPIATION RULES.

68. RULE: MAKING AN ARRANGEMENT TO TRAVEL THE ROAD TOGETHER WITH A WOMAN.

When the Buddha was dwelling at Vesālī, as described in full above. At that time, a certain man, because his wife had done something that displeased him, became extremely angry, beat her severely, and then went away. The wife thought: "He has not yet calmed his anger; if he beats me again, I fear I will die. I should flee now," and she ran out of the house. Suddenly she saw a bhikkhu who had just finished his alms round and was about to leave the city. She asked him:

—Where are you intending to go, Venerable Sir?

—I am going out of the city.

—I would like to go along with you.

—Sister, this is the king's highway; there is no need to ask.

And so she followed along behind him. After beating his wife, the husband thought: "My wife has been beaten; I fear she may have run away," and went into the room to look for her, but did not find her. He asked others: "Where has she gone?" They replied: "She just left, going along this road." He immediately gave chase, and suddenly saw her following behind the bhikkhu.

He flew into a violent rage and cursed: "You wicked ascetic! How dare you lure my wife away!" He then seized the bhikkhu, beat him thoroughly, and dragged him before the magistrate, saying: "This bhikkhu has enticed my wife to go with him." The magistrate said: "Bring them both here so I may question them to find out the truth." He then questioned the bhikkhu: "You are a person who has gone forth — why did you lead another man's wife away?"

—It was not like that.

—Then why was she going along with you?

—I had just finished my alms round and was about to leave the city, when that woman asked me where I was going. I replied: "I am going to leave the city." She said: "I also wish to go along out of the city." I replied: "Sister, this is the king's highway; there is no need for you to ask." That is the truth of the matter.

The magistrate then told his officers: "Take this bhikkhu away, and bring the woman here." He asked her: "Did that ascetic compel you to go?"

—It was not like that.

—Then why were you travelling together?

—Because my husband beat me, and he had not yet calmed his anger; I feared he would beat me again and I might lose my life, so I fled. I then happened to see the bhikkhu, and I asked him: "Where are you going, Venerable Sir?" He replied: "I am going to leave the city." I said I wished to go along with him, and he told me: "This is the king's highway; there is no need to ask." That is the truth — he did not compel me.

The magistrate then sent her away and called the bhikkhu in again, asking: "You are a person who has gone forth — why did you take another man's wife away, and then lie in order to escape punishment? The woman just now said that you compelled her to go; why do you say that is not so?"

The bhikkhu replied: "It was not like that." The magistrate questioned him again, and his answer was the same as before. The magistrate then sent the bhikkhu out and called the woman back in, asking: "You wicked woman, deserving of death — did you abandon your husband and flee, then lie to deceive the court in hopes of escaping punishment? Just now the bhikkhu said that he truly did compel you — why do you say that is not so?" She replied: "That is truly not the case." The magistrate questioned her three times in this way, and her answer remained the same as at the beginning.

Accordingly, the magistrate detained the woman and summoned the bhikkhu to examine the situation, observing his countenance in order to ascertain the truth; and he found that the bhikkhu's answers remained as they had been from the start. The magistrate then asked the bhikkhu: "Why is your bowl broken?"

—Because it was broken.

—Why are your robes torn?

—Because they were torn.

—Why are your elbows and knees scraped and injured?

—Because they were injured.

The wife still harbored resentment toward her husband whose anger had not yet subsided; feeling compassion for the bhikkhu who had suffered in this way without making any accusation to the magistrate, she then explained the whole matter in full to the magistrate. Upon hearing the truth of the situation, the magistrate was extremely angry and said to the husband: "You wicked criminal — do you think that besides the king there is no one else?" He immediately ordered the subordinate official to resolve the matter concerning the bhikkhu, to provide him with medicine and robe and bowl, and had the husband imprisoned and his property confiscated into the royal treasury.

The bhikkhus then reported the matter to the Blessed One. The Buddha said to the bhikkhus: "Would that all kings had such faith! In this case, even without having made an arrangement with someone, such misfortune occurred — how much more so when one makes an arrangement to travel together. From this day forward, I do not permit bhikkhus to make arrangements to travel the road together with women." The Buddha then commanded all the bhikkhus dwelling at Vesālī to assemble, and for ten reasons proclaimed the rule for bhikkhus — those who have already heard it must hear it again:

—If a bhikkhu makes an arrangement to travel the road together with a woman, even if it is only within the distance of one village, he commits a Pācittiya offence.

Explanation

Bhikkhu: As explained above.

Woman: Whether a mother, an elder sister, a younger sister, an adult, a child, a laywoman, or one who has gone forth.

Making an arrangement together: Whether arranging for today, tomorrow, a fortnight, a month, and so on.

Road: Whether three yojanas, two yojanas, one yojana, half a yojana; or one krośa, half a krośa, down to the distance within a single village — he commits a Pācittiya offence.

Pācittiya: As explained above.

If a bhikkhu makes an arrangement to travel the road together with a woman and travels through distances village by village, he commits a Pācittiya offence for each village. If he goes back and forth, each time he travels he commits a Pācittiya offence. In other respects, it is the same as what was explained in the third Expulsion among the 92 rules, concerning making an arrangement to travel together with a bhikkhunī. The only difference here is that it concerns travelling with a woman. Therefore it is said as above.

Vietnamese translation: Thích Phước Sơn. MAHĀSĀṂGHIKA VINAYA

Chinese translation: TRIPIṬAKA BUDDHBHADRA OF INDIA

TOGETHER WITH ŚRAMAṆA FAXIAN, TRANSLATED DURING THE EASTERN JIN DYNASTY

DOCTRINAL VERIFICATION: THÍCH ĐỖNG MINH