San Lo Bi Vb As 5Further Penalty

Explanation of Tassapāpiyasikā (Discourse on Further Penalty)

Background

Tassapāpiyasikā is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically in the San Lo Bi collection (Saṁghadisesa, offenses requiring confession before the Sangha). This is one of the monastic legal regulations established by the Buddha to protect the diligence and purity of the community of renunciants.

This discourse outlines cases in which a bhikkhu, a male monk, commits an offense not merely once but repeatedly, or where there are circumstances that make the wrongdoing more serious. The phrase “Tassapāpiyasikā” means “those further worse things” or “further penalty,” referring to heavier consequences for those who do not correct themselves after the first warning.

The historical background of the Vinaya Piṭaka belongs to the early period of the Sangha, when the Buddha and senior disciples had to formulate rules to regulate conduct, maintain discipline, and educate new members. Each rule was established in response to specific situations arising in communal practice.

Main Content

The Tassapāpiyasikā discourse concerns penalties applied when a bhikkhu reoffends or does not obey the warnings of the Sangha. In the Vinaya Piṭaka, when a bhikkhu commits a Saṁghadisesa offense, an offense requiring confession before the Sangha, he is first admonished. If he refuses to heed counsel or reoffends, then additional penalties (pāpiyasikā) are applied.

These penalties may include being isolated from the Sangha community, not being allowed to participate in communal ceremonies and study, and being held under strict regulations concerning conduct, speech, and the organizational structure of the Sangha. The purpose is not punishment in a mechanical sense, but to help the bhikkhu recognize the harmful nature of his conduct and provide conditions for genuine repentance.