22. Atthaṅgatasikkhāpada
Tena samayena buddho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kho pana samayena therā bhikkhū bhikkhuniyo ovadanti pariyāyena. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmato cūḷapanthakassa pariyāyo hoti bhikkhuniyo ovadituṁ. Bhikkhuniyo evamāhaṁsu—“na dāni ajja ovādo iddho bhavissati, taññeva dāni udānaṁ ayyo cūḷapanthako punappunaṁ bhaṇissatī”ti. Atha kho tā bhikkhuniyo yenāyasmā cūḷapanthako tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ cūḷapanthakaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho tā bhikkhuniyo āyasmā cūḷapanthako etadavoca—“samaggāttha, bhaginiyo”ti? “Samaggāmhāyyā”ti. “Vattanti, bhaginiyo, aṭṭha garudhammā”ti? “Vattantāyyā”ti. “Eso, bhaginiyo, ovādo”ti niyyādetvā imaṁ udānaṁ punappunaṁ abhāsi— “Adhicetaso appamajjato, Munino monapathesu sikkhato; Sokā na bhavanti tādino, Upasantassa sadā satīmato”ti. Bhikkhuniyo evamāhaṁsu—“nanu avocumhā—na dāni ajja ovādo iddho bhavissati, taññeva dāni udānaṁ ayyo cūḷapanthako punappunaṁ bhaṇissatī”ti. Assosi kho āyasmā cūḷapanthako tāsaṁ bhikkhunīnaṁ imaṁ kathāsallāpaṁ. Atha kho āyasmā cūḷapanthako vehāsaṁ abbhuggantvā ākāse antalikkhe caṅkamatipi tiṭṭhatipi nisīdatipi seyyampi kappeti dhūmāyatipi pajjalatipi antaradhāyatipi, tañceva udānaṁ bhaṇati aññañca bahuṁ buddhavacanaṁ. Bhikkhuniyo evamāhaṁsu— “acchariyaṁ vata bho, abbhutaṁ vata bho. Na vata no ito pubbe ovādo evaṁ iddho bhūtapubbo yathā ayyassa cūḷapanthakassā”ti. Atha kho āyasmā cūḷapanthako tā bhikkhuniyo yāva samandhakārā ovaditvā uyyojesi—“gacchatha, bhaginiyo”ti. Atha kho tā bhikkhuniyo nagaradvāre thakite bahinagare vasitvā kālasseva nagaraṁ pavisanti. Manussā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—“abrahmacāriniyo imā bhikkhuniyo; ārāme bhikkhūhi saddhiṁ vasitvā idāni nagaraṁ pavisantī”ti. Assosuṁ kho bhikkhū tesaṁ manussānaṁ ujjhāyantānaṁ khiyyantānaṁ vipācentānaṁ. Ye te bhikkhū appicchā …pe… te ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti— “kathañhi nāma āyasmā cūḷapanthako atthaṅgate sūriye bhikkhuniyo ovadissatī”ti …pe… “saccaṁ kira tvaṁ, cūḷapanthaka, atthaṅgate sūriye bhikkhuniyo ovadasī”ti? “Saccaṁ, bhagavā”ti. Vigarahi buddho bhagavā …pe… kathañhi nāma tvaṁ, cūḷapanthaka, atthaṅgate sūriye bhikkhuniyo ovadissasi. Netaṁ, cūḷapanthaka, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya …pe… evañca pana, bhikkhave, imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddiseyyātha—
Instructing nuns after sunset Origin story
At one time when the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery, the senior monks were taking turns instructing the nuns. Then, on one occasion, it was Venerable Cūḷapanthaka’s turn. The nuns said, “Today the instruction won’t be effective. Venerable Cūḷapanthaka will just be repeating the same thing over and over.” Soon afterwards those nuns went to Cūḷapanthaka, bowed, and sat down. Cūḷapanthaka then said to them, “Are you all here, sisters?” “We’re all here, venerable.” “Are you keeping the eight important principles?” “We are.” After saying, “This is the instruction,” he uttered the same heartfelt exclamation again and again: “For the heedful one possessed of the higher mind, For the sage training on the path to sagacity— There are no sorrows for such a one, The peaceful one, who is always mindful.” And the nuns said, “Didn’t we say that the instruction wouldn’t be effective, that Venerable Cūḷapanthaka would just be repeating the same thing over and over?” Cūḷapanthaka overheard that conversation between the nuns. He then rose up into the air, walked back and forth in space, and he stood, sat down, and lay down there. He emitted smoke and fire, and he disappeared, all the while uttering the same heartfelt exclamation and many other sayings by the Buddha. The nuns said, “It’s astonishing and amazing! No previous instruction has been as effective as this one from Venerable Cūḷapanthaka!” And Cūḷapanthaka kept on instructing those nuns until the dark of night and then dismissed them, saying, “Go, sisters.” But because the gates to town were closed, those nuns spent the night outside and only entered early in the morning. People complained and criticized them, “These nuns aren’t celibate. They spend the night in the monastery with the monks and only now do they enter town.” The monks heard the complaints of those people, and the monks of few desires complained and criticized Cūḷapanthaka, “How could Venerable Cūḷapanthaka instruct the nuns after the sun has set?”… “Is it true, Cūḷapanthaka, that you did this?” “It’s true, sir.” The Buddha rebuked him … “Cūḷapanthaka, how could you do this? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this: