Lzh Mg Bu Vb Ss 9Making an Accusation Out of Anger on an Irrelevant Pretext

– MAHĀSĀṂGHIKA VINAYA

– SAṂGHĀVAŚEṢA RULES

– EXPOSITION OF THE REMAINING SAṂGHĀVAŚEṢA RULES

9. RULE: MAKING A FALSE ACCUSATION BY DISTORTION.

When the Buddha was dwelling at Śrāvastī, as stated above, the Venerable Dabba Mallaputta had been appointed by the Saṃgha to oversee the nine matters mentioned previously. Then the group of six bhikkhus, having received poor rooms and inferior food, were constantly troubled in mind and thought: "If the Elder Dabba Mallaputta continues to live the holy life for a long time, we will go on suffering. But the Blessed One has laid down a rule against falsely accusing another of a pārājika offense without basis.

We must therefore find evidence of wrongdoing." Having thought thus, they began to follow the Venerable Dabba Mallaputta closely, shadowing him on both sides whether he was walking, standing, lying down, or sitting. Each month, on the eighth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days, the bhikkhunīs would come to pay homage to the Buddha. At that time, the Venerable Dabba Mallaputta was seated facing the Buddha at no great distance, so after the bhikkhunīs had prostrated at the feet of the Buddha, they came to prostrate before the Venerable Dabba Mallaputta as well.

At that moment, one bhikkhunī, while prostrating, had a corner of her robe blown by the wind so that it caught on the knee of the Venerable One, and he lifted it off with his hand.

Then the group of six bhikkhus said: "Elder Dabba, you have committed a pārājika offense."

Dabba said: "I have done no such thing."

The group of six bhikkhus said again: "I saw it with my own eyes — what is there to doubt? Has any thief ever admitted to being a thief?"

They then spread the matter about in secluded places, in crowded places, and before the Saṃgha. Thereupon Dabba reported the full circumstances to the Blessed One. The Buddha ordered that the group of six bhikkhus be summoned. They were accordingly summoned.

The Buddha then questioned the group of six bhikkhus: "Is it true that you have falsely accused Dabba Mallaputta of committing a pārājika offense without basis?"

They replied: "It is not so, Blessed One. There is real evidence."

The Buddha said: "What evidence?" The group of six bhikkhus then reported to the Buddha: "Blessed One, on a fast-day, the bhikkhunīs came and paid homage to the Blessed One, then went to pay homage to Dabba. At that time the wind blew the corner of a bhikkhunī's robe onto Dabba's knee. Dabba then seized her robe with his hand — that is the evidence."

The Buddha said: "Foolish ones, that is not evidence of a pārājika offense. It is merely a minor matter belonging to an entirely different category." Then the Buddha rebuked the group of six bhikkhus: "Have you never heard me, on many occasions, praise the showing of bodily, verbal, and mental loving-kindness and respect toward those who live the holy life? Why then, toward a bhikkhu who is pure and without fault, have you sought to destroy his purity, and taken a minor matter belonging to a different category — one that is not a pārājika of a bhikkhu — and accused him of a pārājika offense? This is contrary to the Dhamma, contrary to the Vinaya, and contrary to my teaching; it cannot be used to nurture wholesome states."

Then the Buddha commanded all the bhikkhus dwelling at Śrāvastī to assemble, and for ten benefits he laid down the following rule for the bhikkhus — let all hear it, even those who have already heard it:

—If a bhikkhu, out of anger and displeasure, takes a minor matter belonging to a different category — one that is not a pārājika of a bhikkhu — and makes a false accusation that the bhikkhu has committed a pārājika offense, with the intention of undermining that bhikkhu's holy life; and if afterward, whether questioned or not, he says: "It was only out of anger that I made the accusation using a matter belonging to a different category" — he commits a saṃghāvaśeṣa offense.

Explanation:

—A bhikkhu out of anger and displeasure: As stated above.

—Belonging to a different category: Excluding the four pārājikas, from the thirteen saṃghāvaśeṣa rules onward are matters belonging to a different category.

—Minor matters: These include the sekhiya rules and the rules of deportment.

—That which is not a pārājika of a bhikkhu, accused as being a pārājika: The matter does not belong to the pārājikas, yet a false accusation is made that one of the four pārājika rules has been violated.

—Wishing to destroy that person's holy life: Wishing to make that person no longer a bhikkhu, no longer a śramaṇa, no longer a son of the Śākyan clan. Wishing to make them a novice, a layperson, a gardener, or a non-Buddhist.

—Afterward, whether questioned or not.

Questioned: Such as being asked: "What did you see? Was it a matter of sexual misconduct? Of theft? Of intentional killing? Of falsely claiming to have attained superhuman states? Where did you see it?" This is called being questioned. If one is not asked in this way, it is called not being questioned.

If out of anger toward a bhikkhu who is pure and without fault, one takes a minor matter belonging to a different category and falsely accuses him of a pārājika offense, one commits a saṃghāvaśeṣa offense.

(The remainder is as stated above.) Therefore it is said:

—"If a bhikkhu, out of anger and displeasure, takes a matter belonging to a different category, up to 'having spoken out of anger,' he commits a saṃghāvaśeṣa offense."

End of the ninth saṃghāvaśeṣa rule.

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