Bu Pc 1818. Sitting down on an upper story
Pāli / Sanskrit:Vehāsakuṭi
A monk who uses a bed with unfastened legs on an unplanked upper storey of a hut belonging to the Order must confess the offense.
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Theravāda Collection on Monastic Law The Great Analysis
The chapter on offenses entailing confession The subchapter on plants 18. Sitting down on an upper story
Origin story
At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery. At that time two monks were staying in a dwelling with an upper story belonging to the Sangha, one staying below and one above. The monk above sat down hastily on a bed with detachable legs. A leg fell off and hit the monk below on the head. He cried out. Monks rushed up and asked him why, and he told them what had happened.
The monks of few desires complained and criticized him, “How could a monk sit down hastily on a bed with detachable legs on an upper story in a dwelling belonging to the Sangha?”
After rebuking that monk in many ways, they told the Buddha. Soon afterwards he had the Sangha gathered and questioned the monks: “Is it true, monk, that you did this?”
“It’s true, sir.”
The Buddha rebuked him … “Foolish man, how could you do this? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:
Final ruling
‘If a monk sits down or lies down on a bed or a bench with detachable legs on an upper story in a dwelling belonging to the Sangha, he commits an offense entailing confession.’”
Definitions
A: whoever … Monk: …The monk who has been given the full ordination by a unanimous Sangha through a legal procedure consisting of one motion and three announcements that is irreversible and fit to stand—this sort of monk is meant in this case. A dwelling belonging to the Sangha: given to the Sangha, given up to the Sangha. An upper story: a man of average height does not hit his head. A bed with detachable legs: it stands after inserting the limbs. A bench with detachable legs: it stands after inserting the limbs. Sits down: if he sits down on it, he commits an offense entailing confession. Lies down: if he lies down on it, he commits an offense entailing confession.
Permutations
If it belongs to the Sangha, and he perceives it as such, and he sits down or lies down on a bed or a bench with detachable legs on an upper story, he commits an offense entailing confession. If it belongs to the Sangha, but he is unsure of it … If it belongs to the Sangha, but he perceives it as belonging to an individual, and he sits down or lies down on a bed or a bench with detachable legs on an upper story, he commits an offense entailing confession.
If it belongs to an individual, but he perceives it as belonging to the Sangha, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If it belongs to an individual, but he is unsure of it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If it belongs to an individual, and he perceives it as such, but that individual is not himself, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If it belongs to himself, there is no offense.
Non-offenses
There is no offense: if there is no upper story; if the upper story is so low that one hits the head; if the lower story is not in use; if the upper story has floorboards; if the legs are fastened by bolts; if he stands on it to get hold of something or to put something up; if he is insane; if he is the first offender.
The training rule on sitting down on an upper story, the eighth, 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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