式叉摩那尼戒本

In worldly education, propriety comes first; in the rules for transcending the world, the precepts stand foremost. Without propriety, there is no means by which one may become virtuous and wise; only by observing the precepts can one swiftly proceed toward bodhi. Therefore, the great scriptures teach that the precepts are the ladder and the vessel for all fruits of the Path, and also the root and foundation of every wholesome recompense. If one does not observe the precepts, how can one behold Buddha-nature? Although sentient beings possess Buddha-nature, they must observe the precepts before they can behold it. Only upon beholding Buddha-nature can they attain unsurpassed bodhi.

For this reason, both the Mahayana and the Hinayana receive the Dharma of the precepts, and all five assemblies of monastics abide by the Vinaya. Yet this is the age of the Final Dharma, when most people delight in receiving the precepts but abandon their observance. They ascend to the rank established by the Dharma of the precepts, only to turn that rank into a tattered life raft upon the sea of suffering. There are also those who, with deranged and deluded wisdom, speak recklessly about prajnaparamita and disparage the Vinaya, causing the ignorant to imitate them and depriving later practitioners of every gateway.

The Tathagata teaches beings of every capacity: in the teachings he established the Three Vehicles, and in the Dharma of the precepts he instituted the five assemblies. Women in particular have faculties that are somewhat slower and afflictions that are more deeply rooted; therefore, the Tathagata established the six rules, instructing them first to spend two years studying all the precepts and deportment of fully ordained nuns.

Only when the essence of the precepts has gradually been perfected are they permitted to receive full ordination. Although this was so established, they must rely upon a senior nun well versed in the Vinaya as their teacher. However, that senior nun is not permitted to tell them the names of the five divisions and seven classes of offenses; she may teach them only the precepts and deportment concerning refraining from sexual misconduct, refraining from stealing, and equivalent precepts.

It is lamentable that in the age of the Final Dharma, senior nuns are rarely encountered, and those who understand the Vinaya are rarer still. Thus, these women neither receive instruction directly nor are permitted to read the text of the precepts. They therefore have no means of knowing what constitutes observing a precept and what constitutes violating one; even if they aspire to advance, they have nowhere to set their feet.

For this reason, I have examined the Vinaya texts and compiled the precepts they are required to study, so that those who possess shame and moral dread and wish to study the precepts may learn and practice them in accordance with the circumstances.

Recorded by the śramaṇa Hongzan, who brought forth the great resolve for bodhi, in the gengyin year of the Shunzhi era, during the first month of summer.

The Precept Manual for Śikṣamāṇā Nuns

(extracted from the Dharmaguptaka collection)

Compiled at Baoxiang Grove, Nanhai, Guangzhou, by the śramaṇa Hongzan, dwelling in the forest.

Śikṣamāṇā is a Sanskrit term translated into Chinese as “woman in training.” During two years, she must fully study three categories of Dharma: first, the fundamentals, namely the four grave precepts; second, the six rules, namely those received through a karma procedure; and third, the rules of practice, namely all the precepts and deportment of fully ordained bhikṣuṇīs. Here, in accordance with the Four-Part Vinaya, these three categories are set forth for their convenient study and practice before receiving full ordination.

One: Studying the Fundamentals

(altogether four matters)

1.- She must not engage in an impure act or commit sexual intercourse. If a śikṣamāṇā commits sexual intercourse, even with an animal, she is no longer a śikṣamāṇā and no longer a daughter of the Śākya clan, for she has committed a grave offense.

2.- She must not steal, even so much as a blade of grass. If a śikṣamāṇā steals from another five coins or more than five coins—whether she takes it herself or tells another to take it, cuts it herself or tells another to cut it, breaks it herself or tells another to break it, burns it, buries it, or destroys its color—she is no longer a śikṣamāṇā and no longer a daughter of the Śākya clan, for she has committed a grave offense. (“Cut” means cutting a coin into two pieces. “Break” means smashing a coin apart. Burning, burying, and destroying all mean altering the color and form of the coin. Five coins means five large coins, with one large coin equal to sixteen small coins; taking five coins or an object worth five coins constitutes a grave offense in either case). ⁽¹⁾

3.- She must not intentionally take the life of a sentient being, even one as small as an ant. If a śikṣamāṇā intentionally kills a human being with her own hand; hands someone a knife; tells someone to die; praises death; administers improper medicine; causes a miscarriage; employs supplications or spells; or either performs such acts herself or tells another to perform them, she is no longer a śikṣamāṇā and no longer a daughter of the Śākya clan, for she has committed a grave offense. (“Praises” means praising death so as to cause someone to die.

“Improper medicine” means poison, or administering unsuitable medicine to a sick person and thereby causing that person’s death. “Supplications” means making entreaties to malevolent spirits. “Spells” means employing malevolent talismans and incantations).

4.- She must not speak falsely, even in jest. If a śikṣamāṇā, untruthfully and without actually possessing them, claims for herself the qualities of a superior person—claiming to have attained dhyāna, liberation, samādhi, right attainment, the fruit of stream-entry, or even the fruit of arhatship; or claiming, “Devas have come, nāgas have come, and spirits have come to make offerings to me”—she is no longer a śikṣamāṇā and no longer a daughter of the Śākya clan, for she has committed a grave offense. (“Liberation” means the eight liberations.

Samādhi is translated into Chinese as right concentration. Stream-enterer is translated into Chinese as “one who has entered the stream,” meaning one who has entered the stream of noble beings. Arhat is translated into Chinese as “unattached,” and also as “unborn,” because an arhat is liberated from birth and death in the Three Realms).

If any one of the four grave precepts above is violated, she must immediately be expelled. Thereafter, she may not receive bhikṣuṇī ordination, nor may she return to being a śikṣamāṇā, śrāmaṇerikā, or upāsikā. If, through the insistence of a teacher, she forcibly receives the precepts again, she still does not acquire the precepts and remains guilty of the grave offense; moreover, whatever she receives from faithful donors is said to be obtained through the offense of theft.

Two: Studying the Six Rules[^]

(properly comprising six matters)

1.- If a śikṣamāṇā, with a defiled mind, allows a man who also has a defiled mind to rub or touch her body, she violates the precept and must receive it again. (“Defiled mind” means sexual desire).

2.- If a śikṣamāṇā, with the intention to steal, takes less than five coins, she violates the precept and must receive it again. (“Less than five coins” means one, two, three, or four coins).

3.- If a śikṣamāṇā kills an animal incapable of transformation, she violates the precept and must receive it again. (“Incapable of transformation” means an animal unable to transform itself into the form of a human, a deva, a nāga, a spirit, and so forth. “Animal” includes even the smallest insect).

4.- If a śikṣamāṇā intentionally speaks falsely before the Sangha, she violates the precept and must receive it again. (“False speech” here refers to a minor falsehood).

5.- If a śikṣamāṇā eats at an improper time, she violates the precept and must receive it again. (From after midday today until before dawn tomorrow is called the improper time).

6.- If a śikṣamāṇā drinks intoxicating liquor, she violates the precept and must receive it again.

If she violates any one of the six rules above, she is said to be deficient in the precepts. Another karma procedure must be performed to establish a further two-year period. A śikṣamāṇā deficient in the precepts must begin her training anew. If she does not complete another two years of training, she may not receive full ordination.

Three: Studying the Rules of Practice[^]

(altogether 292 rules. The Buddha instructed śikṣamāṇās to learn and practice all the precepts of fully ordained nuns, except for taking food themselves, handing food to others, and giving food. The Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya stipulates that a śikṣamāṇā receives food from a śrāmaṇerikā).

1.- With a defiled mind, she must not allow a man who also has a defiled mind to hold her hand, grasp her robe, enter a concealed place with her, stand together with her, converse together with her, walk together with her, press his body against hers, or arrange a rendezvous with her. (A “concealed place” is a place where others can neither see nor hear them). ⁽²⁾

2. One must not conceal another person’s offense. If one knows that another person has committed an offense but does not oneself bring forth the accusation, report it to the Sangha, or tell anyone, and later, when the offender has died, been expelled, or ceased practicing, and so forth, one then says, “Previously, I knew that this person had done such-and-such,” this constitutes concealing another person’s grave offense.

3. If one knows that a bhikkhu, or even a monastery gardener or novice, has been formally accused by the Sangha in accordance with the Dharma, the Vinaya, and the Buddha’s instructions, yet does not submit or repent, and the Sangha has not performed the karman permitting that person to live in communion, one must not follow that person. When other bhikkhunis and sikshamanas admonish one, one must desist and must not refuse to desist. (To follow means to act according to that person’s words by giving them scriptures or providing them with clothing and food.)

4. One must not act as a matchmaker, conveying a man’s intentions to a woman or a woman’s intentions to a man so that they may become husband and wife or engage in illicit relations, even for only a moment.

5. Out of anger and displeasure, one must not groundlessly slander another person by accusing them of a grave offense with the intention of destroying that person’s purity. (Groundlessly means that one has neither seen, heard, nor suspected that the person committed the offense, yet deliberately makes the accusation in order to slander them.)

6. Out of anger and displeasure, one must not seize upon some aspect of a different matter and groundlessly slander another person with the intention of destroying that person’s brahmacarya. (A different matter refers to a grave offense. To seize upon some aspect means to take a minor fault connected with a grave offense and use it to slander a person by accusing them of having committed that grave offense.)

7. One must not go to the authorities, even for only a moment, to lodge a complaint against a layman or a layman’s child, a servant, or a hired worker. (To go to the authorities means to report a matter to an official. If one is slighted or insulted by someone, one should speak to that person’s parents or relatives, to a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni, or to a male or female lay devotee, so that they may admonish the person. A hired worker is someone employed to perform work.)

8. If one knows beforehand that a woman is a notorious thief whose crime is punishable by death, one must not immediately ordain her without first consulting the king or the king’s minister and without consulting members of her community. (Although a sikshamana is not permitted to have disciples, she must nevertheless study this rule beforehand.)

9. One must not cross water alone, enter a village alone, spend the night alone, or travel behind alone. (To spend the night alone means to stay alone in a lay household within a village.)

10. If one knows that a man has a defiled mind, one must not accept food or other articles from him.

11. One must not tell another person to accept food or other articles from him.

12. One must not cause a schism in the harmonious Sangha and then refuse to desist when admonished.

13. One must not side with a person who causes a schism in the harmonious Sangha and then refuse to desist when admonished.

14. If, while dwelling in a city or village, one corrupts lay devotees and commits unwholesome deeds, and the Sangha expels one, one must not refuse to submit. (To corrupt lay devotees means to give articles to householders. Unwholesome deeds include planting flowers and fruit trees, watering them and gathering their fruit; sharing a bed or eating from the same bowl with adults or children; singing, dancing, playing or blowing musical instruments; working for hire; jesting; and so forth.)

15. One must not be obstinate and refuse to listen to anyone. When admonished, one must desist.

16. Persons must not live in undue intimacy with one another, commit unwholesome acts together, become widely notorious, successively conceal one another’s offenses, and refuse to desist when admonished. (Undue intimacy means constantly laughing and jesting with one another and making sport of one another.)

17. If someone has had a karman performed against her by the Sangha requiring her to live apart, or has been reproved and warned, one must not instruct her, saying, “Do not consent to live apart; continue living in communion. I see other people who do not consent to live apart, who commit unwholesome acts together, become widely notorious, and conceal one another’s offenses. The Sangha has told you to live apart merely because they are angry.” Giving such instructions slanders the Sangha; therefore, when admonished, one must desist.

18. One must not hastily become angry and displeased over some minor matter and immediately say, “I renounce the Buddha, renounce the Dharma, and renounce the Sangha. There are not only the Shakyaputriya ascetics; there are also other ascetics and brahmins who practice brahmacarya, and I can practice brahmacarya among them.” If one speaks in this way and is admonished by the Sangha, one must desist.

19. One must not delight in disputes and, through failing to remember the disputed matter correctly, say, when judged by the Sangha, that the Sangha is acting out of greed, hatred, delusion, or fear; and if one says this and is admonished, one must not refuse to desist.

20. One must not keep an extra robe ⁽³⁾ for more than ten days without assigning it in purity. (There are two kinds of assignment in purity. The first is actual assignment in purity, meaning that the article is actually given to another person. The second is successive assignment in purity, meaning that the prescribed karman is performed and one then retains the article oneself.)

21. One must not be separated from one’s robe and sleep elsewhere, even for a single night.

22. One must not ask for a robe from a layman or a layman’s wife who is not a relative. If one’s robe has been stolen, lost, burned, or swept away by water, one may ask for one.

23. If one’s robe has been stolen, lost, burned, or swept away by water, and a layman or a layman’s wife offers an invitation to request whatever is needed ⁽⁴⁾ and donates many robes, one must accept with a proper sense of sufficiency and must not take excessively.

24. If a layman or a layman’s wife has set aside money to buy a robe and wishes to purchase a robe as an offering, but the sikshamana has not previously received an invitation to request whatever is needed, she must not, out of a desire for a fine robe, go to their home and praise the robe in order to demand it.

25. If two laymen, or the wives of two laymen, have set aside money to buy robes and wish to purchase robes as offerings, but the sikshamana has not previously received an invitation to request whatever is needed, she must not, out of a desire for a fine robe, go to the homes of the two laymen, praise a robe, and urge them to combine their money to procure a single robe. (Not having received an invitation to request whatever is needed means that the sikshamana has not received an invitation from the two laymen to come to their homes and ask for a robe.)

26. If a donor sends a messenger to deliver money for procuring a robe for a sikshamana, the sikshamana must not accept it, because she is not permitted to possess money. The messenger gives the money to a steward and then departs. When the sikshamana needs a robe, she should go to the steward two or three times and say, “I need a robe.” If she does not obtain the robe after saying this, she may go and stand silently before the steward four, five, or six times; if she then obtains the robe, that is good. If she still does not obtain it, she must not exceed that number of visits to demand the robe. She must inform the donor that she did not receive the robe so that the donor may recover the money set aside for it and prevent it from being lost.

27. One must not personally take hold of gold, silver, or money; tell another person to take hold of it; or accept it by verbally assenting. (To accept by verbally assenting means to say “Yes.”)

28. One must not engage in any form of buying or selling.

29. If one is using a bowl with fewer than five patches and the bowl does not yet leak, one must not seek a new bowl merely because it is finer.

30. One must not personally procure thread and have a weaver who is not one’s relative weave a robe. (Thread means silk or hemp thread.)

31. If a donor has instructed a weaver to weave a robe for a sikshamana, but the sikshamana has not previously received an invitation to request whatever is needed, she must not, out of a desire for a finer robe, go to the weaver and instruct the weaver to make it wider, longer, more durable, more finely woven, and properly aligned, while promising additional payment, even if only the value of a single meal.

32.- If one has given a robe to another person, one must not afterward, out of anger, take it back or have someone else take it back.

33.- If, because of illness, one stores ghee, oil, fresh butter, honey, or rock sugar, these may be used overnight for up to 7 days; one must not continue using them after 7 days. (Ghee is made from cow’s milk, goat’s milk, and so forth. Oil includes mustard-seed oil, sesame oil, and so forth. Honey is bee honey. Rock sugar is made by refining sugarcane juice. When any of these medicines is received from someone, that is counted as the first day. It may then be used within the limit of 7 days; if any remains, it should be given to another person and must not be stored until the eighth day.)

34.- If, when 10 days remain before the end of the rains retreat, someone urgently offers a robe, one should accept it; having accepted it, one may keep it only for the robe season and must not keep it any longer. (The Sangha receives the robe of merit on the sixteenth day of the seventh month and relinquishes it on the fifteenth day of the twelfth month; this period of 5 months is called the robe season. If the robe of merit is not received, the robe season lasts only 1 month, from the sixteenth day of the seventh month through the fifteenth day of the eighth month.

Although a sikshamana does not receive the robe of merit, because she has meritoriously completed the rains retreat, according to principle she too deserves to share with the Sangha the benefits of both periods and may keep an extra robe without violating the precepts. If she keeps it beyond those two periods without making it a pure gift, she violates the precept. Ordinarily, all robes and articles may be stored only after the rains retreat has been completed, but because this is an urgently offered robe, an additional 10 days beforehand are permitted.

The reason for urgency may be that the donor is about to travel far away, go on a military expedition, make the offering on behalf of a sick person, make it because of a difficult childbirth, and so forth.)

35.- If one knows that an article is intended as an offering to the Sangha, one must not contrive to have it offered to oneself instead.

36.- One must not ask for one thing and then ask for another. (This means going to a donor’s home to seek one article and then seeking other articles as well.)

37.- If one knows that a donor has given something to the Sangha for a particular purpose, one must not divert it to other purposes. (This means, for example, that a donor gives money or property to build a Dharma hall, but one uses it for robes; or gives it for robes, but one uses it for a Dharma hall; or gives it for one place, but one transfers it to another. If the donor is consulted, it may be used according to the donor’s instructions. Or, if the donor said at the time of the offering that it could be used as desired, it may be used as desired.)

38.- If one knows that a donor has offered articles for a particular purpose, and one has also solicited them on behalf of the Sangha, one must not divert them to another purpose. (Here, diversion to another purpose means using an offering intended for food to make robes, using an offering intended for robes to obtain food, or using in one place what was offered for another. “One has solicited them” means that one has begged for them from various places.)

39.- If one knows that a donor has offered articles for a particular purpose, one must not divert them to another purpose. (This means, for example, taking articles offered for building a dwelling and exchanging them for robes. There is no offense if the donor is consulted, as in rule 37. In rule 37, the offering is for building a Dharma hall for the Sangha; here, the offering is for building a dwelling for one or several other persons, or for oneself.)

40.- If one knows that a donor has offered articles for a particular purpose, and one has also solicited them on behalf of the Sangha, one must not divert them to another purpose. (This means that the Sangha solicits money and property from various places to build rooms or dwellings, but then exchanges that money and property for robes and divides them among themselves.)

41.- One must not keep an extra alms bowl ⁽⁵⁾. (On the day one receives alms bowls, one should use only one; any surplus must be made a pure gift or returned to the giver.)

42.- One must not keep many fine-colored utensils. (On the day one receives utensils, one may use them, and 16 kinds of utensils may be used; all others must be made pure gifts or returned to the giver. The 16 kinds are: a large steamer, the lid of the large steamer, a large jar, and the ladle for the large jar; a small steamer, the lid of the small steamer, a small jar, and the ladle for the small jar; a water pitcher, the lid of the water pitcher; a pot, and the ladle for the pot; a washing-water vessel, the lid of the washing-water vessel; ?, and the ladle for ?.) ⁽⁶⁾

43.- If one promises to give a menstrual cloth to someone, one should afterward give it. (A menstrual cloth is used during menstruation as a covering upon the body beneath one’s lower garment. If one promises to give any article to someone, one should give it to that person.)

44.- One must not accept a robe offered outside the robe season as though it were a robe offered during the robe season. (The robe season lasts 1 month if the robe of merit is not received, and 5 months if the robe of merit is received. A robe obtained during either of these two periods is called a robe of the proper season. A robe outside the proper season is an extra robe obtained during the remaining time, apart from the two periods mentioned above. Robes of the proper season are distributed by the Sangha that has completed the rains retreat; robes outside the proper season are distributed by the Sangha members who are present.)

45.- If one exchanges robes with another person, one must not afterward, out of anger, take the robe back or have someone else take it back. (Exchanging robes means exchanging one robe for another robe, exchanging another article for a robe, or exchanging a robe for another article.)

46.- If one seeks a heavy robe, its value should be equal to no more than 4 pieces of fine cloth. (A heavy robe is a robe for the cold season.)

47.- If one seeks a light robe, its value should be no more than 2½ pieces of fine cloth. (A light robe is a robe for the hot season.)

48.- One must not deliberately speak falsely. (The offense of false speech among the six rules above concerns deliberately speaking falsely before the Sangha; here, speaking falsely to even one person constitutes an offense.)

49.- One must not revile or abuse others. (This means humiliating another person and causing that person shame.)

50.- One must not speak divisively. (This means carrying the words of each side to the other so as to cause them to quarrel and become divided.)

51.- One must not sleep in the same dwelling with a man.

52.- One must not sleep in the same dwelling with a woman who has not received full ordination for more than 3 nights. (The Mahasanghika Vinaya states that a fully ordained nun may sleep with a sikshamana for 3 nights, and a sikshamana may sleep with a novice nun for 3 nights.)

53.- One must not recite the scriptural Dharma together with a person who has not received full ordination. (The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya does not permit one to recite the scriptural Dharma together with a person who has not received full ordination; other Vinayas do not permit one to speak about the full precepts in the presence of a person who has not received them. Here, a sikshamana must not speak of them to a novice nun or a layperson.)

54.- If one knows that another person has committed a grave offense, one must not disclose it to a person who has not received full ordination. (There is no offense if the Sangha has formally appointed one by a karma procedure to disclose it.)

55.- One must not speak of superhuman attainments to a person who has not received full ordination. (Even if one has truly realized meditative concentration, liberation, samadhi, or the first fruit through the fourth fruit, one still must not speak of it to a person who has not received full ordination.)

56.- One must not teach the Dharma to a man in more than five or six sentences. (“Five” refers to the 5 skandhas; “six” refers to the 6 sense faculties or the 6 sense objects; or the words may concern five or six other corresponding dharmas. If a knowledgeable woman is present nearby, there is no offense in speaking at greater length.)

57.- One must not dig the earth with one’s own hands or have someone else dig it.

58.- One must not destroy the villages of spirits. (All grasses and trees are dwelling places upon which spirits depend, just as people depend upon their villages; therefore, one must not damage or destroy them. Indeed, one must not damage or destroy any living plant.)

59.- One must not deliberately speak evasively in order to irritate another person. (This means that when someone questions one in accordance with the Dharma, one dislikes it and therefore responds by speaking of something else, causing that person to become irritated.)

60.- One must not spitefully abuse another person. (This means abusing someone to that person’s face or behind that person’s back.)

61.- If one takes articles belonging to the Sangha—such as a rope bed, a wooden bed, bedding, or a sitting mat—and personally lays them out on open ground or has someone else lay them out, then when leaving, one must personally put them away or have someone else put them away.

62.- If one personally lays out the Sangha’s bedding in the Sangha’s dwelling, or has someone else lay it out, then when leaving, one must personally put it away or have someone else put it away.

63.- If one knows that another person occupied a place first and one arrives afterward, one must not spread out one’s bedding in the middle and lie down to sleep, intending that the other person, finding it too crowded, will leave of her own accord.

64.- One must not, out of anger or displeasure toward another person, personally drag her out of the Sangha’s quarters or tell someone else to drag her out.

65.- When on an upper story, one must not lie or sit on a rope bed or wooden bed with detachable legs. (Detachable legs are fitted or loose legs; if the upper story is not secure, the bed may fall through and injure someone below.)

66.- If one knows that water contains living creatures, one must not personally pour it onto the ground or grass, nor tell someone else to pour it. (Using it for washing, laundering, and so forth is also considered pouring it.)

67.- When building a large dwelling with doors, windows, and other adornments, one should instruct that no more than two or three courses of thatch be laid. (Two or three courses means two or three layers.)

68.- If a donor offers one meal, then, unless ill, one should eat only one meal and no more. (The donor builds a dwelling and offers food in order to seek merit, but cannot make many offerings; therefore, the donor offers only one meal and lodging for one night.)

69.- One must not eat apart from the Sangha. (There is no offense when one is ill, when robes must be sewn urgently, when someone offers robes, when traveling by road, when traveling by boat, during a great assembly, or when invited to eat by non-Buddhist ascetics.)

70.- Unless ill, when one goes to a donor’s house and the donor asks to offer food, one must not accept more than two or three bowls; upon returning to the monastery, one must share it with the others to eat.

71.- One must not eat food kept overnight. (This means food accepted today, stored, and eaten the following day.)

72.- One must not put into one’s mouth food or medicine that one has not been invited to receive. (Except for water and tooth-cleaning sticks, there is no offense in taking them without an invitation. According to the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, a sikshamana may take food with her own hands and hand food to a bhikshuni. The Mahasanghika Vinaya likewise permits her to hand food together with a fully ordained bhikshuni. Except for making fire-purified food, injuring seeds, and handling gold, silver, or money, a sikshamana receives food from a sramaneri.)

73.- If one has already accepted an invitation, one must not go to another house before or after the meal without informing another bhikshuni. (There is no offense if, when ill, when sewing robes, or when robes are being given, one does not inform another. “Before the meal” means from daybreak until noon; “after the meal” means after noon.)

74.- If valuables are present in a private chamber, one must not insist on remaining seated there for a long time. (A private chamber is a room in which husband and wife, moved by desire, wish to engage in an impure act; one must not insist on sitting there for a long time and obstruct them.)

75.- If valuables are present in a private chamber, one must not sit in a concealed place.

76.- One must not sit alone with a man in the same place in the open.

77.- If one has previously promised to accompany another person to a village and obtain food for her, but then neither encourages anyone to offer her food nor does so oneself, instead saying, “I dislike sitting or speaking together with you in the same place,” and contrives in this way to drive her away, one commits an offense.

78.- If a donor asks to provide medicine for four months, one may accept it even when not ill, but one must not accept it beyond that period. (There is no offense if the donor asks to provide it continuously, to provide more, to distribute it as an offering, or to provide it for life. If the donor offers it for one, two, or three months, one may accept it for whatever period was offered, but once that period has expired, one must not return to obtain more.)

79.- One must not go to watch an army in battle formation. (There is no offense if one has been summoned for a reason.)

80.- If there is a reason, one may lodge within an army camp for two or three nights, but no longer. (Even when one must lodge in an army camp because of a matter concerning the Three Jewels, one should return as soon as the matter is completed after one night; at most, one may remain three nights and no longer.)

81.- While lodging in an army camp for two or three nights, one must not watch the army arrayed for battle, nor watch the elephant corps or cavalry performing exercises.

82.- One must not frolic in the water.

83.- One must not tickle another person with one’s fingers. (This means scratching or poking with one’s fingers at a sensitive part of another’s body, making it difficult for that person to restrain herself from laughing.)

84.- One must not refuse to accept every admonition.

85.- One must not frighten another person.

86.- Unless ill, one should bathe once every half month and no more frequently. (Exceptions are times of heat, illness, labor, strong wind, rain, or arrival after a long journey.)

87.- Unless ill, one must not light a fire in the open or tell another person to light one. (There is no offense when cooking for an ill person, firing bowls, dyeing robes, lighting lamps, burning incense, and so forth.)

88.- One must not, whether personally or by telling another, hide another person’s belongings—such as robes, bowls, sitting cloths, needle cases, oil, or thread—merely as a joke. (Besides the articles listed above, one must not hide any other articles either, except when temporarily putting them away for safekeeping out of fear that they may be lost or damaged, in which case they must be returned immediately.)

89.- After making an actual gift of a robe to another person, one must not take and wear it without first asking its owner. (Here, “making a gift” means genuinely giving it to another person. If it is assigned in trust through an intermediary, one may, in accordance with the rule, wear it freely without asking the owner.)

90.- If one obtains a new robe, its original color must be spoiled by dyeing it with one of three colors: blue, black, or the color produced by boiling magnolia bark. If this is not done, one must not use it. (One may freely use any one of these three colors. If one obtains a new robe whose color already accords with the rule, one should nevertheless mark it for purification before using it. Even bags, belts, caps, socks, cloths, and so forth must all be marked for purification.)

91.- If one knows that water contains living creatures, one must not drink it. (It must be thoroughly filtered and carefully inspected to ensure that it contains no living creatures before it is used.)

92.- One must not deliberately trouble another person, even if doing so causes her displeasure for only a moment.

93.- If one knows that a person has committed an offense, one must not help conceal it. (The second precept above concerns concealing a grave offense; this precept concerns concealing a minor offense.)

94.- If one knows that a matter of dispute has already been repented of in accordance with the Dharma, one must not subsequently revive it.

95.- If one knows that someone is a bandit, one must not travel along the same road with that person, even as far as a village.

96.- If one gives rise to a harmful wrong view and says, “As I understand the Dharma taught by the Buddha, sexual intercourse is not an obstruction to the Path,” then, when admonished for speaking in this way, one must abandon that view immediately.

97.- If one knows that a person refuses to abandon a harmful and erroneous view and that the Sangha has not yet performed the karma procedure to absolve that person’s offense, one must not harbor her or sleep in the same place with her.

98.- If one knows that a sramaneri holds a harmful wrong view and has been expelled by the Sangha, one must not harbor her or sleep in the same place with her.

99.- When admonished in accordance with the Dharma, one must not say, “I will not train in this precept now; I shall question a wise Vinaya holder about it.”

100.- When listening to the recitation of the precepts, one must not disparage the precepts by saying, “What is the purpose of reciting these trivial rules? They only cause people annoyance, shame, and doubt.”

101.- When listening to the recitation of the precepts, one must concentrate the mind single-pointedly, gather one’s faculty of hearing, and listen carefully.

102.- After one has joined the Sangha in giving an article to someone, one must not later say, “That person gave Sangha property to her because she was a close friend.”

103.- If the Sangha has not yet concluded its deliberation of a matter, one must not rise and leave without first giving one’s consent by proxy.

104.- After giving one’s consent by proxy, one must not later regret it.

105.- One must not secretly listen to a dispute and afterward repeat those words to another person.

106.- One must not strike another person out of anger or displeasure.

107.- One must not, out of anger or displeasure, slap another person with one’s hand. (To slap means to spread open the palm and strike a person with it).

108.- One must not, out of anger or displeasure, slander another person with a groundless accusation. (The fifth rule above concerns slander alleging a grave offense; this rule concerns slander alleging a minor offense).

109.- If the king has not yet dismissed his guests or put away his treasures, one must not cross the threshold of the royal palace.

110.- If an object is made of gold or precious stones, or is an ornament made of gold or precious stones, one must not take possession of it or instruct another person to do so. (An exception is made within a monastery or at a place of lodging, where one may put it away for fear that it might be lost; however, one must take note of it, remember it, and return it to its owner).

111.- One must not enter a village at an improper time without informing anyone. (One should inform a senior bhiksuni; if there is no senior bhiksuni, one should inform a fellow practitioner of the holy life of equal standing, or even a sramanerika).

112.- If making a corded bed or wooden bed, its legs must be only eight of the Buddha’s fingerbreadths high and must not exceed that height. (One fingerbreadth of the Buddha is equal to two cun) ⁽⁷⁾.

113.- One must not use tūla cotton to stuff a mattress for a corded bed or wooden bed, or to stuff bedding or a sitting mat. (Tūla cotton is a general name for poplar blossoms, willow blossoms, and cattail flowers).

114.- One must not eat onions or garlic.

115.- One must not shave the hair in three places. (These are the areas of urination and defecation, and beneath the armpits).

116.- When using water for cleansing, it should be limited to two fingerbreadths, one joint of each finger, and must not exceed that measure. (If insects or debris are inside and must be drawn out, there is no offense).

117.- One must not use glue, resin, or similar substances to fashion a male organ.

118.- One must not strike against one another. (Whether one strikes another with the hands, feet, or female organ, it is an offense).

119.- When a bhiksu is not ill, one must not bring him water or stand before him and fan him.

120.- One must not ask for unhusked rice or raw barley. (Even large beans, small beans, and sesame seeds must not be requested. An exception is made when asking relatives, acquaintances, or monastics; whether one asks on behalf of another, another asks on one’s behalf, or one receives them without asking, there is no offense).

121.- One must not urinate, defecate, or spit upon fresh grass. (If one is ill, there is no offense).

122.- In the early morning, one must not discard feces or urine without first looking beyond the wall. (One must look beyond the wall and discard them only when no one is there. Before discarding other things, one must likewise first clear one’s throat or clap one’s hands).

123.- One must not go to watch or listen to musical performances.

124.- One must not enter a village and stand conversing with a man in a concealed place. (The first rule concerns standing and conversing in a concealed place with a man toward whom one has lustful intentions. This rule and the following two concern standing and conversing with a man without lustful intentions).

125.- One must not go with a man into a concealed and screened-off place.

126.- After entering a lane within a village, one must not tell one’s companion to go far away and then stand together with a man in a concealed place and speak into his ear.

127.- After entering and sitting in a layperson’s house, one must not leave without informing the householder.

128.- After entering a layperson’s house, one must not immediately sit on a bed without informing the householder. (If it is one’s customary seat, the house belongs to an intimate acquaintance, or one sits upon stone, wood, hard ground, or a grass mat, or if one is ill, there is no offense).

129.- After entering another person’s house, one must not, without informing the householder, arrange a place for oneself and sit, sleep, or rest there.

130.- One must not enter a dark house with a man.

131.- One must not immediately repeat to another person words one has heard without first ascertaining their truth.

132.- Over a minor reason or trivial matter, one must not immediately swear that one will fall into an evil realm or not be reborn within the Buddha-Dharma. (One should not make such oaths. If an unpleasant matter concerning oneself arises, one should say: If I have done such a thing, “Homage to the Buddha”; if you have done such a thing, “Homage to the Buddha”).

133.- One must not quarrel with another person because one has failed to remember the disputed matter correctly, and then beat one’s chest, weep, and cry out.

134.- Unless ill, two persons must not lie together on one bed.

135.- One must not lie upon the same mattress or beneath the same blanket. (If each person has a separately arranged place, or if the weather is cold and there is only one blanket, each person may put on an undergarment and lie down beneath it).

136.- One must not, for the purpose of causing disturbance, recite sutras, ask about their meaning, or give instruction in another person’s presence.

137.- If a person with whom one shares communal living becomes ill, one must not fail to care for them. (Here, sharing communal living means sharing the same material support).

138.- If, at the beginning of the rains retreat, one allows another person to place a bed in one’s room, one must not later become angry and drive that person out. (If that person violates a precept or deserves expulsion, there is no offense).

139.- One must not travel among the populace throughout every season—spring, summer, and winter. (For affairs of the Three Jewels or to care for a sick person, one may leave the designated boundary and travel for seven days; when the seven days are complete, one must return immediately).

140.- After completing the rains retreat, one must not fail to depart. (Because a donor’s invitation to provide offerings for the retreat extends only until the retreat ends, one must depart and may not remain even for a single night. If one is prevented by circumstances beyond one’s control, is ill, the donor’s invitation to give offerings has no fixed limit, or one observed the retreat at a place without accepting an invitation, then there is no offense in not departing).

141.- One must not travel among the populace outside the designated area where there is reason to suspect danger. (Outside the designated area means a place far from a town or settlement. If one has been invited, or if one arrives before there is reason to suspect that danger may arise, there is no offense).

142.- One must not travel among the populace within the designated area where there is reason to suspect danger. (Within the designated area means the region surrounding the city on all four sides).

143.- One must not become intimate with a layperson or a layperson’s child, live together with them, and then engage in nonconforming conduct that one refuses to abandon even after admonition. (To be intimate means constantly talking, laughing, and jesting together).

144.- One must not go sightseeing at royal palaces, painted halls, gardens, groves, or bathing ponds.

145.- One must not bathe naked in a river, stream, or lake.

146.- If making a bathing cloth, it must be six of the Buddha’s handspans long and two and a half handspans wide, and must not exceed those dimensions. (A bathing cloth is a cloth used to cover the body while bathing. One handspan of the Buddha is equivalent to three handspans of an ordinary person and, according to the Zhou measurement, equals one chi and eight cun).

147.- One must not take more than five days to sew a robe. (If one lacks scissors, a needle, or thread; if there is insufficient cloth; or if an emergency occurs, there is no offense).

148.- One must not allow more than five days to pass without inspecting one’s robes. (Other necessities must likewise be inspected once every five days so that they are not lost, eaten by insects, or discolored. If they are stored in a secure place or entrusted to someone who watches over them, there is no offense).

149.- One must not obstruct the offering of robes to the Sangha. (This means that when a donor wishes to offer robes to the Sangha, one must not advise the donor to offer food instead and not offer robes. One must likewise not obstruct other people from offering other articles).

150.- Without asking the owner, one must not take that person’s robe on one’s own authority. (An exception is made for an intimate acquaintance).

151.- One must not take a sramana’s robe and give it to a non-Buddhist ascetic or a layperson. (A layperson is one who lives the household life. An exception is made when giving it to one’s parents or giving it so that another person may repay a debt. If someone asks for a piece of kasaya cloth to dispel calamity, one should instruct a lay attendant to give it to them).

152.- If the Sangha is distributing robes in accordance with the Dharma, one must not obstruct the distribution out of fear that one’s disciple will receive no share. (A siksamana is not permitted to maintain disciples, but she must likewise not obstruct the distribution for the sake of a close friend).

153.- One must not, with the intention of enjoying the five privileges for a long time, cause the presently assembled Sangha not to relinquish the robe of merit, but to relinquish it later. (After the two assemblies of monks and nuns have completed the rains retreat, on the sixteenth day of the seventh month they together receive the robe of merit. Having received this robe, during the following five months they enjoy five benefits: first, they may keep an extra robe; second, they may sleep apart from their robes; third, they may eat apart from the assembly; fourth, they may accept successive meal invitations; fifth, they may eat both a preceding meal and a subsequent meal, and may enter a village without notifying anyone.

Although a sikshamana does not have a robe of merit, because she observes the rains retreat together with the fully ordained nuns, she should also enjoy these five benefits. The robe of merit is received on the sixteenth day of the seventh month, and on the fifteenth day of the twelfth month the Sangha relinquishes it by a formal act.)

154.- One must not, with the intention of enjoying the five privileges for a long time, obstruct the Bhikshuni Sangha from relinquishing the robe of merit.

155.- If another nun says, “Please settle this dispute for me,” one must immediately employ appropriate means to settle it. (If one is ill, if they will not heed what one says, or if they have violated the precepts, and so forth, there is no offense.)

156.- One must not personally hand food to householders or non-Buddhist ascetics for them to eat. (One should have another person hand it to them, or place it somewhere for them to take.)

157.- One must not act as an attendant or servant for householders. (This means managing a householder’s domestic affairs, or milling and pounding grain, cooking, arranging seats, fetching water, sweeping the ground, and so forth. If one does such things for one’s parents, for a sincerely faithful female devotee who is ill, or for someone who has been bound or imprisoned, there is no offense.)

158.- One must not personally spin thread or twist fibers into yarn. (If one merely untangles fibers or joins broken threads, there is no offense.)

159.- When entering a householder’s home, one must not sit or lie upon any of their large or small beds.

160.- If one stays overnight at a householder’s home, one must take leave of the host the following morning before departing. (If one informs a close acquaintance, or if there are bandits, venomous snakes, or wild beasts, one may depart without committing an offense.)

161.- One must not study or recite worldly spells, nor teach others to study or recite them.

162.- If one knows that a person is of such-and-such a kind, one must not ordain her. (A person of such-and-such a kind means a prostitute. If she possesses great faith and has become weary of and renounced her unwholesome occupation, she should be taken to a place five or six yojanas away, carefully concealed, and entrusted to a fully ordained nun for instruction. Although a sikshamana is not permitted to accept disciples, she must study this matter in advance.)

163.- One must not fail to remain with one’s bhikshuni preceptor for two years. (After receiving full ordination, one must still remain with one’s teacher for two years. If the teacher violates the precepts, one may leave without committing an offense.)

164.- After the Bhikshuni Sangha has formally commenced the rains retreat, one must not fail to go before the Bhikshu Sangha and state the three matters of what has been seen, heard, or suspected, in order to request the invitation ceremony. (One must study this precept in advance. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states that a sikshamana should also accompany the community of nuns to the community of senior monks to request the invitation ceremony.)

165.- One must not formally commence the rains retreat in a place where there are no bhikshus. (This is because there would be no one to give instruction, and if doubts arose there would be no one to consult.)

166.- If one knows that there are bhikshus in a sangharama, one must announce oneself before entering. (The Sanskrit term sangharama is translated into Chinese as “a garden of the assembly” and means a place where members of the Sangha reside; one must announce oneself before entering.)

167.- One must not revile a bhikshu.

168.- One must not delight in disputation, fail to remember the matter in dispute properly, and afterward become angry and displeased and revile the entire community of nuns.

169.- If boils, abscesses, or various sores arise on the body, one must not have a man lance or bandage them without first reporting the matter to the assembly or telling anyone. (If one wishes to have a man provide treatment, the wooden gong must be sounded and the community of nuns assembled. They should come before the patient, cover her body with a robe, expose only the place requiring treatment, and only then ask him to provide treatment.)

170.- If one has previously accepted an invitation and eaten one’s fill, one must not afterward eat staple food. (Staple food means rice, noodles, fried rice, and so forth. If the invitation was not for staple food, if the invitation was not to eat one’s fill, or if one had not previously been invited, there is no offense in any case.)

171.- One must not harbor jealousy toward one’s own teacher ⁽⁸⁾. (This means that when a familiar donor gives offerings to another person, one becomes displeased and gives rise to jealousy.)

172.- One must not rub fragrant substances upon the body.

173.- One must not rub sesame-oil residue upon the body. (The sesame referred to here is chi ma.)

174.- One must not ask another person to massage the body. (One must not ask a sikshamana, a shramanerika, or a laywoman to massage the body, still less ask a bhikshuni to perform such a massage.)

175.- One must not wear thickly padded undergarments. (The undergarment is a pair of short trousers. “Padded” means lined with new cotton or ?.) ⁽⁹⁾

176.- One must not keep articles used to adorn a woman’s body. (These include bracelets and anklets, finger rings, necklaces of jewels, and so forth.)

177.- One must not travel wearing leather footwear or carrying a parasol. (Leather footwear means shoes made from animal hide. A parasol means a canopy-like umbrella. If it is raining, one is permitted to carry an umbrella within the monastery, and one is also permitted to wear footwear within the monastery.)

178.- Unless one is ill, one must not travel in a vehicle. (Vehicles include elephant carts, horse-drawn carriages, and conveyances pulled or pushed by people. If one is elderly or ill, one is permitted to ride in a cart or a conveyance operated by a woman. Only in times of danger is one permitted to ride in any kind of vehicle.)

179.- One must not enter a village without wearing a sanghati-covering garment. (The sanghati-covering garment is a bodice that covers the armpits. Without this garment, the chest, breasts, and waist are exposed. If one does not possess one, if it has been lost, or if one is about to sew one, there is no offense.)

180.- One must not go to a householder’s home as evening approaches. (One may go on business concerning the Three Jewels, to care for a sick person, or when summoned by a donor.)

181.- As evening approaches, one must not open the monastery gate and depart without informing another nun.

182.- If one has no duties, one must enter the earlier rains retreat; if one has duties, one must enter the later rains retreat. One must not fail to observe the rains retreat. (The sixteenth day of the fourth month is the beginning of the earlier rains retreat, and the sixteenth day of the fifth month is the beginning of the later rains retreat. If one has duties concerning the Three Jewels or is caring for a sick person and cannot enter the earlier retreat in time, one is permitted to enter the later retreat. Those entering the earlier rains retreat remain confined until the restrictions are lifted on the fifteenth day of the seventh month; those entering the later rains retreat remain confined until the restrictions are lifted on the fifteenth day of the eighth month.)

183.- One must not study worldly arts of calculation and divination as a means of earning one’s livelihood.

184.- One must not teach worldly arts of calculation and divination to householders. (This means one must not instruct householders that they should not face the shrines of the solar deity and the lunar deity when urinating or defecating; that they should not face the shrines of the solar deity and the lunar deity when discarding excrement, refuse, or any kind of foul water; or that they should not stretch their legs toward the shrines of the solar deity and the lunar deity. It also includes saying that because a certain star is present today, the day is auspicious and suitable for planting crops, building a house, acquiring servants, shaving a child’s head, storing possessions, traveling afar, and so forth.)

185.- If one is expelled, one must not refuse to leave. (One should submit, humbly repent, and request that the expulsion be rescinded.)

186.- If one wishes to ask a bhikshu about the meaning and principles of the sutras and Dharma, one must first request permission and only then ask. (If he has previously given continuing permission to ask questions, or if one’s preceptor and instructor are both close acquaintances of his, there is no offense in asking without requesting permission.)

187.- If one knows that a person who arrived before oneself is staying behind, or that a person who arrived after oneself is staying in front, one must not seek to disturb that person by walking in meditation, standing, sitting, or lying down before them.

188.- If one knows that a monastery has bhikshus residing in it, one must not build a stupa there. (This means building a stupa for nuns. If an old stupa has fallen into disrepair, or if the stupa was built before the monastery was established, there is no offense.)

189.- Upon seeing a bhikshu newly ordained with the full precepts, one must rise, welcome him, show reverence, pay homage, inquire after him, and invite him to sit. (If one is eating and is permitted to sit only once, or if one is ill, one should say: “Venerable sir, I ask to confess my fault. For this reason, I am unable to rise and welcome you.”)

190.- One must not sway the body and walk with quick steps for the sake of appearing graceful. (There is no offense if one has an illness that causes this; if one is avoiding a staff, a wild elephant, or even thorns; if one is wading through water or mud; or if one turns to see whether one’s robes are properly arranged). ⁽¹⁰⁾ .

191.- One must not wear women’s ornaments or apply fragrances to the body.

192.- One must not ask a non-Buddhist woman to rub fragrances on one’s body.

193.- When not ill, one must not seek to consume these eight things: ghee, oil, honey, rock sugar, milk, curds, fish, and meat. ⁽¹¹⁾ . (The preceding 193 rules concern the precepts; the following 99 rules concern proper deportment).

194.- One should put on the lower garment properly.

195.- One should put on the robe properly.

196.- One must not enter a layperson’s house with the robe draped inside out.

197.- One must not sit in a layperson’s house with the robe draped inside out.

198.- One must not enter a layperson’s house with the robe wrapped around one’s neck.

199.- One must not sit in a layperson’s house with the robe wrapped around one’s neck.

200.- One must not enter a layperson’s house with one’s head covered.

201.- One must not sit in a layperson’s house with one’s head covered.

202.- One must not enter a layperson’s house skipping as one walks.

203.- One must not skip as one walks in and sits down in a layperson’s house.

204.- One must not sit with the thighs spread apart ⁽¹²⁾ in a layperson’s house.

205.- One must not enter a layperson’s house with one’s hands on one’s hips.

206.- One must not sit in a layperson’s house with one’s hands on one’s hips.

207.- One must not sway the body while entering a layperson’s house.

208.- One must not sit swaying the body in a layperson’s house.

209.- One must not swing the arms while entering a layperson’s house.

210.- One must not sit swinging the arms in a layperson’s house.

211.- One should enter a layperson’s house with the body properly and modestly covered.

212.- One should sit in a layperson’s house with the body properly and modestly covered.

213.- One must not look here and glance there while entering a layperson’s house.

214.- One must not look here and glance there while sitting in a layperson’s house.

215.- One should enter a layperson’s house quietly.

216.- One should sit quietly in a layperson’s house.

217.- One must not jest or laugh while entering a layperson’s house.

218.- One must not jest or laugh while sitting in a layperson’s house.

219.- One should eat attentively ⁽¹³⁾ .

220.- One should take rice only up to the rim of the bowl and eat it.

221.- One should likewise take other food ⁽¹⁴⁾ only up to the rim of the bowl and eat it.

222.- The other food and the rice should be taken in proper proportion to each other.

223.- One should eat in due order ⁽¹⁵⁾ .

224.- One must not dig into the middle of the bowl and eat from it.

225.- When not ill, one must not ask for rice and other food for oneself.

226.- One must not cover the other food with rice in the hope of receiving more food.

227.- One must not glance into the bowl of the person sitting nearby.

228.- One should keep one’s attention on one’s bowl while eating.

229.- One must not make an excessively large mouthful of rice and eat it.

230.- One must not open one’s mouth wide while waiting for a mouthful of rice.

231.- One must not speak with rice in one’s mouth. (Nor may one speak with other food in one’s mouth).

232.- One must not hold a mouthful of rice far away and toss it into one’s mouth.

233.- One must not eat in such a way that food remains uneaten ⁽¹⁶⁾ .

234.- One must not eat with one’s cheeks bulging.

235.- One must not chew ⁽¹⁷⁾ noisily while eating.

236.- One must not slurp rice while eating.

237.- One must not stick out one’s tongue and lick while eating.

238.- One must not shake one’s hand while eating. (This means raising the hand and shaking it. If there are worms, grass, or the like in the food and one shakes them off, there is no offense).

239.- One must not pick up and eat rice that has fallen.

240.- One must not handle a food vessel ⁽¹⁸⁾ with a soiled hand.

241.- One must not pour water used to wash the bowl inside a layperson’s house. (It must be carried outside and poured away).

242.- One must not defecate, urinate, blow one’s nose, or spit into clean water (except when ill).

243.- One must not defecate or urinate while standing (except when ill).

244.- One must not teach the Dharma to a person who has a garment slung over the shoulder and is being disrespectful (except when that person is ill).

245.- One must not teach the Dharma to a person whose garment is wrapped around the neck (except when that person is ill).

246.- One must not teach the Dharma to a person who has the head covered (except when that person is ill).

247.- One must not teach the Dharma to a person who has the head veiled (except when that person is ill).

248.- One must not teach the Dharma to a person who has hands on the hips (except when that person is ill).

249.- One must not teach the Dharma to a person wearing leather sandals (except when that person is ill).

250.- One must not teach the Dharma to a person wearing wooden clogs (except when that person is ill).

251.- One must not teach the Dharma to a person riding a horse (except when that person is ill).

252.- One must not sleep or rest within a Buddha stupa, except in order to guard it.

253.- One must not store possessions within a Buddha stupa, except for safekeeping.

254.- One must not wear leather sandals inside a Buddha stupa.

255.- One must not carry leather sandals inside a Buddha stupa.

256.- One must not wear leather sandals while circumambulating a Buddha stupa.

257.- One must not wear boots inside a Buddha stupa. (The Sanskrit term for boots is phu-la, meaning high shoes or boots; the Buddha permitted their use in cold, snowy regions).

258.- One must not carry boots inside a Buddha stupa.

259.- One must not sit and eat at a Buddha stupa, casting refuse and food upon the ground and soiling it.

260.- One must not carry a corpse past a Buddha stupa.

261.- One must not bury a corpse at a Buddha stupa.

262.- One must not cremate a corpse at a Buddha stupa.

263.- One must not cremate a corpse while facing a Buddha stupa.

264.- One must not cremate a corpse on any of the four sides of a Buddha stupa where the foul odor may drift toward it.

265.- One must not carry a deceased person’s clothing or bed past a Buddha stupa, unless they have been washed, dyed, and fumigated with incense.

266.- One must not defecate or urinate at a Buddha stupa.

267.- One must not defecate or urinate while facing a Buddha stupa.

268.- One must not defecate or urinate on any of the four sides of a Buddha stupa where the foul odor may drift toward it.

269.- One must not bring an image of the Buddha to a place used for defecation or urination.

270.- One must not clean one’s teeth at a Buddha stupa.

271.- One must not clean one’s teeth while facing a Buddha stupa.

272.- One must not clean one’s teeth on any of the four sides of a Buddha stupa.

273.- One must not blow one’s nose or spit at a Buddha stupa.

274.- One must not blow one’s nose or spit while facing a Buddha stupa.

275.- One must not blow one’s nose or spit on any of the four sides of a Buddha stupa.

276.- One must not sit with one’s legs outstretched before a Buddha stupa.

277.- One must not place an image of the Buddha in a room below while dwelling oneself in a room above.

278.- One must not teach the Dharma while standing to a person who is seated (except when that person is ill).

279.- One must not teach the Dharma while seated to a person who is lying down (except when that person is ill).

280.- One must not teach the Dharma while seated on the ground to a person seated on a chair (except when that person is ill).

281.- One must not teach the Dharma while seated in a low place to a person seated in a high place (except when that person is ill).

282.- One must not teach the Dharma while walking behind a person who is walking ahead (except when that person is ill).

283.- One must not teach the Dharma while on a lower walking-meditation path to a person on a higher walking-meditation path (except when that person is ill).

284.- One must not teach the Dharma while walking along the roadside to a person walking in the middle of the road (except when that person is ill).

285.- One must not walk along the road holding hands with another.

286.- One must not climb a tree higher than a person’s head (except in an emergency).

287.- One must not place one’s bowl in a bag, thread the bag onto the head of a khakkhara staff, and carry it over one’s shoulder while walking.

288.- One must not teach the Dharma to a person who is holding a staff and is being disrespectful (except when that person is ill).

289.- One must not teach the Dharma to a person holding a sword (except when that person is ill).

290.- One must not teach the Dharma to a person holding a spear (except when that person is ill).

291.- One must not teach the Dharma to a person holding a knife (except when that person is ill).

292.- One must not teach the Dharma to a person sheltered beneath a parasol (except when that person is ill).

The Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya states that a śikṣamāṇā ranks below all senior bhikshunis and above all shramanerikas. On the days of poṣadha and pravāraṇā, she is to go before the Sangha, kneel upright, join her palms, and say: “Venerable Aryas of the Sangha, my Dharma name is XX. I am pure. I ask the Sangha to remember and firmly acknowledge this on my behalf.” (She says this three times and then withdraws. “Arya” is translated into Chinese as “noble one.”)

Method of Repenting Transgressions of the 292 Rules of Conduct [^]

If a śikṣamāṇā transgresses any of the rules of conduct and thereby directly violates the Buddha’s instruction, she must repent immediately, lest she impair the six training rules. She should go before her bhikshuni preceptor (personal instructor), her bhikshuni acharya (teacher of proper conduct), or another bhikshuni; arrange one side of her robe so that her right shoulder is bare; kneel upright; join her palms; and make this formal declaration: “Reverend Preceptor, I beseech you to recollect me single-mindedly.

I, the śikṣamāṇā XX, deliberately, with a defiled mind, allowed a man with a defiled mind to take hold of my hand. (For any of the other 291 rules of conduct, she should clearly state the rule she transgressed.) I have transgressed a rule of conduct. I now turn to my Preceptor, disclose my offense, and repent of it, not daring to transgress again. May my Preceptor recollect me.” (After she has said this three times, the bhikshuni replies:) “You should reproach your own mind and become disenchanted with and separate yourself from wrongdoing.” (The śikṣamāṇā says:) “Yes, I shall do exactly so.” (If the bhikshuni is neither her Preceptor nor her teacher of proper conduct, she should address her as “Senior Sister.”)

Notes:

⁽¹⁾
All passages enclosed in single parentheses are footnotes from the original work.

⁽²⁾
From this point onward, consecutive provisions that are related to one another are not set on separate lines.

⁽³⁾
“Extra robe” also means a surplus robe.

⁽⁴⁾
“Please do as you wish” means that the donor allows the recipient to decide as she wishes.

⁽⁵⁾
“Extra bowl”: a surplus bowl.

⁽⁶⁾
In this passage, some ancient objects and characters survive while others do not, and part of the printed edition is unclear; therefore, the translation is uncertain.

⁽⁷⁾
Ancient units of measurement: chi and cun.

⁽⁸⁾
The main text reads “jia” (household). The author understands it here as the donor’s household. Elsewhere, explanations state that it should be read as “gu,” as in “taigu,” meaning a female teacher. Considering the circumstances in which this precept may have arisen, understanding it as “teacher” appears somewhat more correct.

⁽⁹⁾
One character here is illegible.

⁽¹⁰⁾
This footnote has been supplemented from Wan, vol. 63, p. 303.

⁽¹¹⁾
With regard to fish and meat, the Lesser Vehicle principle is to accept whatever is offered and eat whatever is given.

⁽¹²⁾
The main text reads “zun zuo.” The annotated editions say this is a sitting posture colloquially called sitting in a crouch. The dictionary, however, says that “zun” means to spread the legs apart, and “zun zuo” means sitting with the thighs spread apart.

⁽¹³⁾
So that the food does not fall down.

⁽¹⁴⁾
The main text reads “geng” (soup). Here, however, “geng” clearly refers to foods in general.

⁽¹⁵⁾
To eat out of sequence means taking and eating food indiscriminately from within the bowl.

⁽¹⁶⁾
Following the annotation elsewhere, this is translated as: one half is in the mouth, while the other half remains in the hand.

⁽¹⁷⁾
Translated in full, this means “chewing rice.” Yet this wording is both complete and deficient: one must make no sound while chewing anything whatsoever, not only while chewing rice.

⁽¹⁸⁾
The bhikshu precepts and bhikshuni precepts say “drinking water.”