Bi Pc 1818. Complaining without reflection
Pāli / Sanskrit:Paraujjhāpanaka
A nun who criticizes someone without reflection must confess the offense.
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Theravāda Collection on Monastic Law The Nuns’ Analysis
The chapter on offenses entailing confession The subchapter on the dark of the night 18. Complaining without reflection
Origin story
At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery. At that time a nun who was a pupil of Bhaddā Kāpilānī attended on her with care. Bhaddā Kāpilānī said to the nuns, “Venerables, this nun is attending on me with care. I’ll give her a robe.” Then, because of a misunderstanding and a lack of proper reflection, that nun complained about Bhaddā Kāpilānī, “Venerables, if I didn’t attend on her with care, she wouldn’t give me a robe.”
The nuns of few desires complained and criticized her, “How could a nun complain about someone else because of a misunderstanding and a lack of proper reflection?” … “Is it true, monks, that a nun did this?”
“It’s true, sir.”
The Buddha rebuked her … “How could a nun act in this way? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, the nuns should recite this training rule like this:
Final ruling
‘If a nun complains about someone else because of a misunderstanding and a lack of proper reflection, she commits an offense entailing confession.’”
Definitions
A: whoever … Nun: … The nun who has been given the full ordination in unanimity by both Sanghas through a legal procedure consisting of one motion and three announcements that is irreversible and fit to stand—this sort of nun is meant in this case. Because of a misunderstanding: because of wrong understanding. Because of a lack of proper reflection: because of wrong reflection. Someone else: if she complains about one who is fully ordained, she commits an offense entailing confession.
Permutations
If the other person is fully ordained, and she perceives them as such, and she complains about them, she commits an offense entailing confession. If the other person is fully ordained, but she is unsure of it, and she complains about them, she commits an offense entailing confession. If the other person is fully ordained, but she does not perceive them as such, and she complains about them, she commits an offense entailing confession.
If she complains about someone who is not fully ordained, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. If the other person is not fully ordained, but she perceives them as such, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. If the other person is not fully ordained, but she is unsure of it, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. If the other person is not fully ordained, and she does not perceive them as such, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.
Non-offenses
There is no offense: if she is insane; if she is the first offender.
The eighth training rule is finished.
The “…” is an abbreviation carried over from the Pāli original itself, called peyyāla. The early canon was memorized and recited, so passages repeated verbatim from a preceding discourse were commonly contracted to an elision mark rather than written out in full. Venerable Thích Minh Châu's translation preserves this convention. Some texts therefore look short — but that is the canonical form, not missing content or a truncated translation. The elided passages can be read in full in the preceding discourses of the same chapter.
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