4. Aññaviññāpanasikkhāpada
Tena samayena buddho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kho pana samayena thullanandā bhikkhunī gilānā hoti. Atha kho aññataro upāsako yena thullanandā bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā thullanandaṁ bhikkhuniṁ etadavoca— “kiṁ te, ayye, aphāsu, kiṁ āharīyatū”ti? “Sappinā me, āvuso, attho”ti. Atha kho so upāsako aññatarassa āpaṇikassa gharā kahāpaṇassa sappiṁ āharitvā thullanandāya bhikkhuniyā adāsi. Thullanandā bhikkhunī evamāha— “na me, āvuso, sappinā attho; telena me attho”ti. Atha kho so upāsako yena so āpaṇiko tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ āpaṇikaṁ etadavoca— “na kirāyyo, ayyāya sappinā attho, telena attho. Handa te sappiṁ, telaṁ me dehī”ti. “Sace mayaṁ, ayyo, vikkītaṁ bhaṇḍaṁ puna ādiyissāma, kadā amhākaṁ bhaṇḍaṁ vikkāyissati; sappissa kayena sappi haṭaṁ, telassa kayaṁ āhara, telaṁ harissasī”ti. Atha kho so upāsako ujjhāyati khiyyati vipāceti— “kathañhi nāma ayyā thullanandā aññaṁ viññāpetvā aññaṁ viññāpessatī”ti. Assosuṁ kho bhikkhuniyo tassa upāsakassa ujjhāyantassa khiyyantassa vipācentassa. Yā tā bhikkhuniyo appicchā …pe… tā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti …pe… atha kho tā bhikkhuniyo bhikkhūnaṁ etamatthaṁ ārocesuṁ. Bhikkhū bhagavato etamatthaṁ ārocesuṁ …pe… “saccaṁ kira, bhikkhave, thullanandā bhikkhunī aññaṁ viññāpetvā aññaṁ viññāpetī”ti? “Saccaṁ, bhagavā”ti. Vigarahi buddho bhagavā …pe… kathañhi nāma, bhikkhave, thullanandā bhikkhunī aññaṁ viññāpetvā aññaṁ viññāpessati. Netaṁ, bhikkhave, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya …pe… evañca pana, bhikkhave, bhikkhuniyo imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddisantu—
Asking for something else Origin story
At one time when the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery, the nun Thullanandā was sick. A lay follower went to her and asked, “Venerable, what’s wrong with you? What may I get you?” “I need ghee.” That lay follower then brought back from a shop a kahāpaṇa’s worth of ghee and gave it to Thullanandā. Thullanandā said, “I don’t need ghee; I need oil.” The lay follower returned to the shopkeeper and said, “It seems the nun doesn’t need ghee, but oil. Here’s your ghee; please give me oil.” “Sir, if we were to take back goods that have been sold, when would our goods be sold? When ghee is bought, ghee is taken away. Buying oil, you receive that, and you’ll take that away.” That lay follower then complained and criticized her, “How could Venerable Thullanandā ask for one thing and then for something else?” The nuns heard the complaints of that lay follower, and the nuns of few desires complained and criticized her … Those nuns then told the monks, who in turn told the Buddha. Soon afterwards he had the Sangha gathered and questioned the monks: “Is it true, monks, that the nun Thullanandā did this?” “It’s true, sir.” The Buddha rebuked her … “How could the nun Thullanandā ask for one thing and then for something else? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, the nuns should recite this training rule like this: