Relinquishment With Confession 24

Origin Story

At that time, the Blessed One was in Sāvatthī in Jeta’s grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s park.

Then the group-of-six bhikkhunīs determined beautiful bowls and put the old ones aside. They kept many bowls, but didn’t wash and arrange them, and put them on the ground in disorder. Householders came to the monastery and looked around. When they saw it, they were upset and said: “These bhikkhunīs take without limit. Outwardly, they praise themselves: ‘We know the true dhamma’, how is that the true dhamma? They keep many beautiful bowls, and the old bowls are in disorder on the ground. There’s no difference to a potter’s shop.”

When the bhikkhunīs heard this, there were among them those with few wishes, who knew moderation, who practised the austerities, who were keen on training in the precepts, and who knew shame. They criticized the group-of-six bhikkhunīs: “Why did you keep many beautiful bowls, didn’t wash and arrange the old bowls, and put them on the ground in disorder?” Then the bhikkhunīs went and told the bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus went and told the World-honored One. The World-honored One then for this reason gathered the bhikkhu sangha, and criticized the group-of-six bhikkhunīs: “What you did is wrong, is improper conduct, against the rules of renunciates, an impure practice, a practice not to be followed, shouldn’t be done. Why, group-of-six bhikkhunīs, did you determine beautiful bowls, didn’t wash and arrange the old bowls, and put them on the ground in disorder?” Then, when the World-honored One had criticized the group-of-six bhikkhunīs in countless ways, he said to the bhikkhus: “These group-of-six bhikkhunīs have all kinds of taints, and are the first to break this precept. From now on, I’ll lay down a precept for the bhikkhunīs, and state the 10 principles: … So that the true dhamma may last long. Someone wishing to recite the precept should recite like this:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī keeps a spare bowl, it’s a nissaggiya pācittiya.’”

Explanation

The meaning of “bhikkhunī” is as above.

On the day that a bhikkhunī obtains a bowl, that very day she should determine one bowl, and the other should be turned into a pure offering vikappana* or sent to others. If a bhikkhunī keeps a spare bowl, it’s a nissaggiya pācittiya. This nissaggiya should be relinquished to the sangha, as in the rule above. When she has relinquished it, she should confess as above. The sangha should then return the relinquished bowl to her, and carry out a formal act with a motion as second to return it as above. If they don’t return it, … if they use it as something other than a bowl, in all cases it’s a dukkaṭa as above.

For a bhikkhu, it’s a dukkaṭa. For a sikkhamānā, a sāmaṇera, and a sāmaṇerī, it’s a dukkaṭa. This is called “to commit”.

“Not committed” means if on the day she obtains a bowl, that day she accepts one bowl, and turns the other bowl into a pure offering, or sends it to others; if she perceives the bowl as having been stolen, lost, broken, or washed away, and therefore she doesn’t turn it into a pure offering or send it to others, the offense isn’t committed. If her bowl is stolen, lost, broken, or washed away, and she herself takes and uses (the new one), or if others give it to her to use, the offense isn’t committed. If the person she has entrusted with the bowl dies, goes on a long journey, disrobes, is abducted by criminals, encounters danger from savage animals, or is washed away by water, and she doesn’t turn it into a pure offering or send it to others, the offense isn’t committed.

“Not committed” means if she’s the first offender when the precept hadn’t yet been laid down, if she’s mad, if she’s distracted, or if she’s overcome with pain. (End of the 24th rule.)