Lzh Mg Bu Vb Ss 8Making a Groundless Accusation Out of Anger

– MAHĀSĀṂGHIKA VINAYA

– SAṂGHĀVAŚEṢA OFFENSES

– Explaining the remaining Saṃghāvaśeṣa precepts.

8. PRECEPT: MAKING A FALSE ACCUSATION OUT OF ANGER.

When the Buddha was residing at Śrāvastī, as described above. At that time, there was a monk named Dvipa Mālaputra who had been appointed by the Saṃgha to oversee the following nine matters:

1. Assigning beds and seats in order of seniority.

2. Dispatching invitations to assemblies in order of seniority.

3. Allocating rooms in order of seniority.

4. Distributing robes and requisites in order of seniority.

5. Distributing incense and flowers in order of seniority.

6. Distributing melons and fruits in order of seniority.

7. Assigning water-boiling duties in order of seniority.

8. Distributing miscellaneous offerings and cakes in order of seniority.

9. Knowing how to appoint capable persons to appropriate tasks.

These are called the nine matters entrusted by the Saṃgha.

When assigning beds and seats to someone, the elder would use the little finger of his right hand to trim the lamp wick so that it burned brightly, in order to see all the furnishings clearly before handing them over. He would then arrange matters as follows:

—Those who prefer quietude should be lodged with those who prefer quietude.

—Those who practice almsround should be lodged with those who practice almsround.

—Those who wear rag-robes should be lodged with those who wear rag-robes.

—Those who eat once a day should be lodged with those who eat once a day.

—Those who customarily sit should be lodged with those who customarily sit.

—Those who prefer to sit in open spaces should be lodged with those who prefer to sit in open spaces.

—Those who sit on grass mats should be lodged with those who sit on grass mats.

—Those who recite sūtras should be lodged with those who recite sūtras.

—Dharma teachers should be lodged with Dharma teachers.

—Those who study the Vinaya should be lodged with those who study the Vinaya.

—Stream-enterers should be lodged with stream-enterers.

—Once-returners should be lodged with once-returners.

—Non-returners should be lodged with non-returners.

—Arhats should be lodged with arhats.

—Those who have attained the three knowledges should be lodged with those who have attained the three knowledges.

—Those who have attained the six superknowledges should be lodged with those who have attained the six superknowledges.

—Those lacking in dignified deportment should be lodged with those lacking in dignified deportment.

At that time, the monk Sudhīna and the group of six monks came to request their room assignment. The Venerable Dvipa Mālaputra replied:

—Please wait a moment. Once all the monks have settled themselves, I will assign the rooms to you in due order.

When they had settled, Dvipa duly assigned the rooms to them in order. Upon receiving their rooms, the group of six monks found that the furnishings within—beds, chairs, blankets, and cushions—were all worn out and decayed, and the dining area allotted to them was also of poor quality. They consulted among themselves:

—It seems the elder Dvipa Mālaputra bears a personal grudge against us, and so has given us this dilapidated room and coarse food. If this elder continues to live the holy life for a long time, we will have to endure much suffering. Let us now falsely accuse him of committing a Pārājika offense.

They then said to Dvipa: "Elder! You have committed a Pārājika offense. We will expose you."

He replied: "I have not committed such an offense."

They said: "Has any thief ever confessed to being a thief! Yet you have now committed a Pārājika offense."

Thereupon, they went to crowded places to slander him, and also went before the assembled Saṃgha to falsely accuse the Venerable Dvipa Mālaputra of committing a Pārājika offense.

Dvipa Mālaputra then went and reported to the Blessed One: "Blessed One! The monk Sudhīna has groundlessly accused me of committing a Pārājika offense."

The Buddha asked: "Did you do such a thing?"

He replied: "No, Blessed One!"

The Buddha said: "O monk, the Tathāgata knows that you are pure, but another person has slandered you—what is to be done about this?"

Dvipa said: "Although the Blessed One knows that I am pure and without fault, I beseech the Blessed One to speak to that monk so that he may give rise to faith, and thereby not bring lasting misfortune upon himself."

The Buddha then said: "Summon the group of six monks here." A monk went and called them.

The Buddha then questioned the group of six monks: "Is it true that you have groundlessly accused the monk Dvipa Mālaputra of committing a Pārājika offense?"

They replied: "It is true, Blessed One!"

The Buddha asked: "Why did you do so?"

They replied: Because that elder assigned us a room that was worn out and falling apart, and so forth … up to: If that elder continues to live the holy life for a long time, we will have to endure much suffering. For this reason we accused him of committing a Pārājika offense.

The Buddha then rebuked the group of six monks:

—This is an evil deed. Have I not constantly taught that one must show reverence and express loving-kindness of body, speech, and mind toward those living the holy life? Why then have you falsely accused a blameless monk living the holy life of having committed a Pārājika offense, without any basis whatsoever? This is contrary to the Dharma, contrary to the Vinaya, contrary to My teaching, and cannot be used to nurture wholesome qualities.

The Buddha then ordered all the monks residing at Śrāvastī to assemble, and for the benefit of ten advantages, he proclaimed a rule for the monks—which even those who had already heard it were required to hear again:

—If a monk, out of anger and displeasure, falsely accuses a blameless, pure monk of having committed a Pārājika offense without any basis, merely wishing to disturb and harm that monk living the holy life, and afterward—whether or not anyone investigates the matter—declares: "That matter had no basis; I said it because I was angry," he commits a Saṃghāvaśeṣa offense.

Explanation

Anger: Nine forms of vexation or groundless rage, and the tenth is resentment. Resentment means that ordinary persons and those still in training experience displeasure, extending even toward an arhat.

Without basis: The matter has not occurred at all; one has not seen anything concerning that person, has not heard anything concerning that person, and has no suspicion concerning that person.

Pārājika: Each of the four Pārājika offenses individually.

False accusation: Inventing and declaring that something exists when it does not. This is called a false accusation.

Wishing to destroy that person's purity: Wishing to make them no longer a monk, no longer a śramaṇa, no longer a member of the Śākya clan; or wishing them to become a novice, a layperson, a gardener, or a follower of another religious sect.

Afterward, whether or not anyone investigates.

Investigation: Such as asking:

—"What did you see? Was it a sexual act? Was it taking more than five māṣakas? Was it deliberately killing a person? Was it falsely claiming to have attained superhuman qualities? On what basis did you see it? For what reason did you see it? Where did you see it?" This is called investigation. Conversely, if no such questions are asked, it is called no investigation.

If the matter had no basis and was stated solely on account of anger, a Saṃghāvaśeṣa offense is committed.

If a monk, out of anger, falsely accuses two people of a similar nature—one who is impure and one who is pure—and the pure one asks:

—"What offense did you see me commit? Among the four matters (the four Pārājika offenses), was it the first or the second? Among the thirteen matters (the thirteen Saṃghāvaśeṣa offenses), was it the first or the second?"—and without having seen, heard, suspected, or determined anything, one brings forth a false accusation against someone in a secluded place, in the presence of many people, or before the assembled Saṃgha, saying:

—"I saw that monk commit a Pārājika offense. I heard that monk commit a Pārājika offense. I suspect that monk of committing a Pārājika offense."—But the seeing was not true seeing, not genuine at the root; the hearing was not true hearing, not genuine at the root; the suspicion was not true suspicion, not genuine at the root. That seeing was erroneous, that hearing was erroneous, that suspicion was erroneous—it was not truly seen as such, not truly heard as such, not truly suspected as such—and yet one levels the accusation directly, face to face, with both parties present, four eyes meeting: a Saṃghāvaśeṣa offense is committed.

If a monk falsely accuses another monk of having committed any of the four Pārājika offenses, a Saṃghāvaśeṣa offense is committed.

If a monk falsely accuses another monk of having committed any of the thirteen Saṃghāvaśeṣa offenses, a Pācittiya offense is committed.

If a monk falsely accuses another monk of having committed any Pācittiya offense, a Duṣkṛta offense is committed.

If the false accusation concerns Pratideśanīya offenses, Śaikṣa rules, or Duṣkṛta offenses, a Duṣkṛta offense requiring mental confession is committed.

If a monk falsely accuses a bhikkhunī of having committed any of the eight Pārājika offenses or any of the nineteen Saṃghāvaśeṣa offenses, a Pācittiya offense is committed.

If a monk falsely accuses a bhikkhunī of having committed any offense among the thirty Niḥsargika-Pācittiya rules or the one hundred and forty-one Pācittiya rules, a Duṣkṛta offense is committed.

If a monk falsely accuses a bhikkhunī of having committed any of the eight Pratideśanīya offenses, any Śaikṣa rule, or any matter of deportment, a Duṣkṛta offense requiring mental confession is committed.

If a monk falsely accuses a female probationer (śikṣamāṇā) of having committed any of the eighteen rules, and then declares: "She should be allowed to train again," a Sthūlātyaya offense is committed.

If one falsely accuses a novice monk or novice nun of committing offenses against the ten precepts, and then says, "They must be allowed to go forth again," one commits an offense of Violation of the Vinaya.

Finally, with regard to laypeople: if a bhikkhu falsely accuses them of committing offenses against the five precepts, he commits an offense of Violation of the Vinaya, to be confessed through mental recollection.

Therefore it is said:

—If a bhikkhu, out of anger and displeasure… , up to and including such a statement, he commits a Saṅghādisesa offense.

End of the Eighth Saṅghādisesa Rule

MAHĀSĀṂGHIKA VINAYA

End of Volume Six.

Vietnamese translation: Thích Phước Sơn. MAHĀSĀṂGHIKA VINAYA

Chinese translation: TRIPIṬAKA BUDDHABHĀDRA OF INDIA

TOGETHER WITH ŚRAMAṆA FAXIAN, TRANSLATED DURING THE EASTERN JIN DYNASTY

Meaning verified by: Thích Đỗng Minh