Bi Ss 1

1. Ussayavādikāsikkhāpada

Ime kho panāyyāyo sattarasa saṅghādisesā dhammā uddesaṁ āgacchanti.

The training rule on taking legal action

Venerables, these seventeen rules on suspension come up for recitation.

Tena samayena buddho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kho pana samayena aññataro upāsako bhikkhunisaṅghassa udositaṁ datvā kālaṅkato hoti. Tassa dve puttā honti— eko assaddho appasanno, eko saddho pasanno. Te pettikaṁ sāpateyyaṁ vibhajiṁsu. Atha kho so assaddho appasanno taṁ saddhaṁ pasannaṁ etadavoca— “amhākaṁ udosito, taṁ bhājemā”ti. Evaṁ vutte, so saddho pasanno taṁ assaddhaṁ appasannaṁ etadavoca— “māyyo, evaṁ avaca. Amhākaṁ pitunā bhikkhunisaṅghassa dinno”ti. Dutiyampi kho so assaddho appasanno taṁ saddhaṁ pasannaṁ etadavoca— “amhākaṁ udosito, taṁ bhājemā”ti. Atha kho so saddho pasanno taṁ assaddhaṁ appasannaṁ etadavoca— “māyyo, evaṁ avaca. Amhākaṁ pitunā bhikkhunisaṅghassa dinno”ti. Tatiyampi kho so assaddho appasanno taṁ saddhaṁ pasannaṁ etadavoca— “amhākaṁ udosito, taṁ bhājemā”ti. Atha kho so saddho pasanno— “sace mayhaṁ bhavissati, ahampi bhikkhunisaṅghassa dassāmī”ti— taṁ assaddhaṁ appasannaṁ etadavoca— “bhājemā”ti. Atha kho so udosito tehi bhājīyamāno tassa assaddhassa appasannassa pāpuṇāti. Atha kho so assaddho appasanno bhikkhuniyo upasaṅkamitvā etadavoca— “nikkhamathāyye, amhākaṁ udosito”ti. Evaṁ vutte thullanandā bhikkhunī taṁ purisaṁ etadavoca— “māyyo, evaṁ avaca, tumhākaṁ pitunā bhikkhunisaṅghassa dinno”ti. “Dinno na dinno”ti vohārike mahāmatte pucchiṁsu. Mahāmattā evamāhaṁsu— “ko, ayye, jānāti bhikkhunisaṅghassa dinno”ti? Evaṁ vutte, thullanandā bhikkhunī te mahāmatte etadavoca— “api nāyyā tumhehi diṭṭhaṁ vā sutaṁ vā sakkhiṁ ṭhapayitvā dānaṁ diyyamānan”ti? Atha kho te mahāmattā— “saccaṁ kho ayyā āhā”ti taṁ udositaṁ bhikkhunisaṅghassa akaṁsu. Atha kho so puriso parājito ujjhāyati khiyyati vipāceti— “assamaṇiyo imā muṇḍā bandhakiniyo. Kathañhi nāma amhākaṁ udositaṁ acchindāpessantī”ti. Thullanandā bhikkhunī mahāmattānaṁ etamatthaṁ ārocesi. Mahāmattā taṁ purisaṁ daṇḍāpesuṁ. Atha kho so puriso daṇḍito bhikkhunupassayassa avidūre ājīvakaseyyaṁ kārāpetvā ājīvake uyyojesi— “etā bhikkhuniyo accāvadathā”ti. Thullanandā bhikkhunī mahāmattānaṁ etamatthaṁ ārocesi. Mahāmattā taṁ purisaṁ bandhāpesuṁ. Manussā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti— “paṭhamaṁ bhikkhuniyo udositaṁ acchindāpesuṁ, dutiyaṁ daṇḍāpesuṁ, tatiyaṁ bandhāpesuṁ. Idāni ghātāpessantī”ti. Assosuṁ kho bhikkhuniyo tesaṁ manussānaṁ ujjhāyantānaṁ khiyyantānaṁ vipācentānaṁ. Yā tā bhikkhuniyo appicchā …pe… tā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti— “kathañhi nāma ayyā thullanandā ussayavādikā viharissatī”ti. Atha kho tā bhikkhuniyo bhikkhūnaṁ etamatthaṁ ārocesuṁ …pe… “saccaṁ kira, bhikkhave, thullanandā bhikkhunī ussayavādikā viharatī”ti. “Saccaṁ, bhagavā”ti. Vigarahi buddho bhagavā …pe… kathañhi nāma, bhikkhave, thullanandā bhikkhunī ussayavādikā viharissati. Netaṁ, bhikkhave, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya …pe… evañca pana, bhikkhave, bhikkhuniyo imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddisantu—

Origin story

At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery. At that time a lay follower who had given a storehouse to the Sangha of nuns had died. He had two sons, one with and one without faith and confidence, and they divided their father’s property between them. Then the one without faith said to the other, “The storehouse is ours; let’s allocate it to one of us.” But the one with faith responded, “No, our father gave it to the Sangha of nuns.” A second time they both said the same thing, and a third time the one without faith repeated his proposal. The one with faith then thought, “If I get it, I too would give it to the Sangha of nuns,” and he said, “Alright, let’s allocate it.” But when they allocated it, it fell to the one without faith. He then went to the nuns and said, “Please leave, venerables, this storehouse is mine.” The nun Thullanandā said to him, “No, your father gave it to the Sangha of nuns.” Because they were unable to agree, they asked judges to decide on the matter. They said, “Venerable, who knows that it was given to the Sangha of nuns?” Thullanandā replied, “But sirs, didn’t you appoint a witness who saw or heard the giving of the gift?” Saying, “It’s true what the venerable says,” the judges made the storehouse the property of the Sangha of nuns. The defeated man complained and criticized the nuns, “They’re not monastics, these shaven-headed sluts. How could they take my storehouse?” Thullanandā told the judges of this and they punished him. That man then made a dwelling place for Ājīvaka ascetics near the nunnery, inciting them to drown out the nuns. Once again Thullanandā told the judges and the judges jailed him. People then complained and criticized those nuns, “First the nuns take his storehouse, then they have him punished, and then they have him jailed. Next they’ll have him executed!” Nuns heard the complaints of those people, and the nuns of few desires complained and criticized her, “How could Venerable Thullanandā take legal action?” Then those nuns told the monks … “Is it true, monks, that the nun Thullanandā is taking legal action?” “It’s true, sir.” The Buddha rebuked her … “How could the nun Thullanandā take legal action? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, the nuns should recite this training rule like this:

“Yā pana bhikkhunī ussayavādikā vihareyya gahapatinā vā gahapatiputtena vā dāsena vā kammakārena vā antamaso samaṇaparibbājakenāpi, ayaṁ bhikkhunī paṭhamāpattikaṁ dhammaṁ āpannā nissāraṇīyaṁ saṅghādisesan”ti.

Final ruling

‘If a nun takes legal action against a householder or a householder’s offspring or a slave or a worker or even toward a monastic or a wanderer, then that nun has committed an immediate offense entailing sending away and suspension.’”

Yā panāti yā yādisā …pe… bhikkhunīti …pe… ayaṁ imasmiṁ atthe adhippetā bhikkhunīti. Ussayavādikā nāma aḍḍakārikā vuccati. Gahapati nāma yo koci agāraṁ ajjhāvasati. Gahapatiputto nāma ye keci puttabhātaro. Dāso nāma antojāto dhanakkīto karamarānīto. Kammakāro nāma bhaṭako āhatako. Samaṇaparibbājako nāma bhikkhuñca bhikkhuniñca sikkhamānañca sāmaṇerañca sāmaṇeriñca ṭhapetvā yo koci paribbājakasamāpanno. Aḍḍaṁ karissāmīti dutiyaṁ vā pariyesati gacchati vā, āpatti dukkaṭassa. Ekassa āroceti, āpatti dukkaṭassa. Dutiyassa āroceti, āpatti thullaccayassa. Aḍḍapariyosāne āpatti saṅghādisesassa. Paṭhamāpattikanti saha vatthujjhācārā āpajjati asamanubhāsanāya. Nissāraṇīyanti saṅghamhā nissārīyati. Saṅghādisesanti saṅghova tassā āpattiyā mānattaṁ deti mūlāya paṭikassati abbheti, na sambahulā na ekā bhikkhunī. Tena vuccati “saṅghādiseso”ti. Tasseva āpattinikāyassa nāmakammaṁ adhivacanaṁ. Tenapi vuccati “saṅghādiseso”ti.

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. Takes legal action: what is meant is that she is the initiator of a lawsuit. A householder: anyone who lives at home. A householder’s offspring: whoever is an offspring or a sibling. A slave: one born in the household, one who has been bought, one who has been brought back as a captive. A worker: a paid worker, a servant. A monastic or a wanderer: anyone who is a wanderer apart from Buddhist monks, nuns, trainee nuns, novice monks, and novice nuns. If, thinking, “I’ll initiate a lawsuit,” she looks for a companion or just goes there herself, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. If she tells one other person, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. If she tells a second person, she commits a serious offense. At the end of the lawsuit, she commits an offense entailing suspension. An immediate offense: there is an offense as soon as the misconduct is committed, and no pressing is required. Entailing sending away: she is sent away from the Sangha. Suspension: only the Sangha gives the trial period for that offense, sends back to the beginning, and rehabilitates—not several nuns, not an individual nun. Therefore it is called an offense entailing suspension. This is the name and designation of this class of offense. Therefore, too, it is called an offense entailing suspension.

Anāpatti— manussehi ākaḍḍhīyamānā gacchati, ārakkhaṁ yācati, anodissa ācikkhati, ummattikāya …pe… ādikammikāyāti.

Non-offenses

There is no offense: if she goes there because people pull her; if she is asking for protection; if she tells without specifying a person; if she is insane; if she is deranged; if she is overwhelmed by pain; if she is the first offender.