Bi Pc 96

96. Asaṅkaccikasikkhāpada

Tena samayena buddho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kho pana samayena aññatarā bhikkhunī asaṅkaccikā gāmaṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi. Tassā rathikāya vātamaṇḍalikā saṅghāṭiyo ukkhipiṁsu. Manussā ukkuṭṭhiṁ akaṁsu— “sundarā ayyāya thanudarā”ti. Sā bhikkhunī tehi manussehi uppaṇḍiyamānā maṅku ahosi. Atha kho sā bhikkhunī upassayaṁ gantvā bhikkhunīnaṁ etamatthaṁ ārocesi. Yā tā bhikkhuniyo appicchā …pe… tā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti— “kathañhi nāma bhikkhunī asaṅkaccikā gāmaṁ pavisissatī”ti …pe… “saccaṁ kira, bhikkhave, bhikkhunī asaṅkaccikā gāmaṁ pāvisī”ti? “Saccaṁ, bhagavā”ti. Vigarahi buddho bhagavā …pe… kathañhi nāma, bhikkhave, bhikkhunī asaṅkaccikā gāmaṁ pavisissati. Netaṁ, bhikkhave, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya …pe… evañca pana, bhikkhave, bhikkhuniyo imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddisantu—

Not wearing a chest wrap Origin story

At one time when the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery, a nun had gone to the village for alms without wearing her chest wrap. While she was walking along a street, a whirlwind lifted up her upper robes. People shouted out, “She has beautiful breasts and belly!” Because she was teased by those people, she felt humiliated. After returning to the nunnery, she told the nuns what had happened. The nuns of few desires complained and criticized her, “How could a nun enter an inhabited area without wearing her chest wrap?” … “Is it true, monks, that a nun did this?” “It’s true, sir.” The Buddha rebuked her … “How could a nun do this? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, the nuns should recite this training rule like this:

“Yā pana bhikkhunī asaṅkaccikā gāmaṁ paviseyya, pācittiyan”ti.

Final ruling

‘If a nun enters an inhabited area without wearing her chest wrap, she commits an offense entailing confession.’”

Yā panāti yā yādisā …pe… bhikkhunīti …pe… ayaṁ imasmiṁ atthe adhippetā bhikkhunīti. Asaṅkaccikāti vinā saṅkaccikaṁ. Saṅkaccikaṁ nāma adhakkhakaṁ ubbhanābhi, tassa paṭicchādanatthāya. Gāmaṁ paviseyyāti parikkhittassa gāmassa parikkhepaṁ atikkāmentiyā āpatti pācittiyassa. Aparikkhittassa gāmassa upacāraṁ okkamantiyā āpatti pācittiyassa.

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. Without wearing her chest wrap: not wearing her chest wrap. Chest wrap: it is for the purpose of concealing the body below the collar bone and above the navel. Enters an inhabited area: if she crosses the boundary of an enclosed inhabited area, she commits an offense entailing confession. If she enters the vicinity of an unenclosed inhabited area, she commits an offense entailing confession.

Anāpatti— acchinnacīvarikāya, naṭṭhacīvarikāya, gilānāya, assatiyā, ajānantiyā, āpadāsu, ummattikāya, ādikammikāyāti. Uddiṭṭhā kho, ayyāyo, chasaṭṭhisatā pācittiyā dhammā. Tatthāyyāyo pucchāmi— “kaccittha parisuddhā”? Dutiyampi pucchāmi— “kaccittha parisuddhā”? Tatiyampi pucchāmi— “kaccittha parisuddhā”? Parisuddhetthāyyāyo, tasmā tuṇhī, evametaṁ dhārayāmīti.

Non-offenses

There is no offense: if her robe is stolen; if her robe is lost; if she is sick; if she is not mindful; if she does not know; if there is an emergency; if she is insane; if she is the first offender. “Venerables, the one hundred and sixty-six rules on confession have been recited. In regard to this I ask you, ‘Are you pure in this?’ A second time I ask, ‘Are you pure in this?’ A third time I ask, ‘Are you pure in this?’ You are pure in this and therefore silent. I will remember it thus.”