Bi Pc 2626. Hindering robe-cloth for the community
Pāli / Sanskrit:Gaṇacīvara
A nun who hinders an order of nuns from receiving robe-cloth 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 nakedness 26. Hindering robe-cloth for the community
Origin story
At one time when the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery, a family that was supporting the nun Thullanandā said to her, “Venerable, we’re going to give robe-cloth to the Sangha of nuns.”
She replied, “You’re very busy,” and she created an obstacle for them.
Soon afterwards the house of that family burned down. They then complained and criticized her, “How could Venerable Thullanandā create an obstacle for our gift? Now we have neither possessions nor merit.”
The nuns heard the complaints of those people, and the nuns of few desires complained and criticized her, “How could Venerable Thullanandā create an obstacle for the community to get robe-cloth?” … “Is it true, monks, that the nun Thullanandā did this?”
“It’s true, sir.”
The Buddha rebuked her … “How could the nun Thullanandā do this? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, the nuns should recite this training rule like this:
Final ruling
‘If a nun creates an obstacle for the community to get robe-cloth, 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. The community: the Sangha of nuns is what is meant. Robe-cloth: one of the six kinds of robe-cloth, but not smaller than what can be assigned to another. Creates an obstacle: if she creates an obstacle with the thought, “What can be done so that these people don’t give robe-cloth?”, she commits an offense entailing confession.
If she creates an obstacle for another requisite, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. If she creates an obstacle for a number of nuns or for a single nun or for someone who is not fully ordained to get robe-cloth or another requisite, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.
Non-offenses
There is no offense: if she can show a benefit in obstructing them; if she is insane; if she is the first offender.
The sixth 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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