Confession 70

Origin Story

At that time, the Blessed One was in Vesālī, in the hall with the peaked roof near the monkey pond.

Then there was a garlic field in a different place. Thullanandā bhikkhunī went to the field and walked around closeby. The owner of the field asked her: “Venerable, do you want or need garlic?” She replied: “I need garlic.” Then they took garlic and gave it to her. When this bhikkhunī had obtained the garlic, she afterwards often came again. She went there and walked around closeby, and when the person saw her, they again said: “Venerable, do you need garlic?” She replied: “I need it. If I obtain garlic, I can eat it at my convenience.” Then they gave garlic again. When they had given the garlic, they instructed the guard of the field: “From now on, give each bhikkhunī five bulbs of garlic daily.” Then the owner of the field left the field’s guard alone there, and themselves took garlic and went to Vesālī to sell it. Thullanandā bhikkhunī returned to the monastery and told the bhikkhunīs: “Did you know? In such-and-such a place, the supporter So-and-so gives each bhikkhunī five bulbs of garlic daily. You can go there and take some.” Then Thullanandā lead the sāmaṇerīs and sikkhamānās to the garlic field, and asked the guard of the garlic: “Where is the owner of the field?” They replied: “They went to Vesālī to sell garlic.”

Then the garlic guard said: “Why do you ask?” She answered: “The owner of the field gives each bhikkhunī five bulbs of garlic daily. Please give them to me now.” The garlic guard said: “Wait a little. I need the owner of the field to come, I’m not allowed to decide this on my own. I can just watch over (the field), that’s all.” The bhikkhunī said: “The great householder saw me and offered, but the slave isn’t willing to give.” Then Thullanandā instructed the sāmaṇerīs to pluck the garlic. She calculated the amount: “This is for the most senior nun, for the other seniors, for the preceptors, for the teachers, for those with the same preceptor as myself, for those with the same teacher as myself, and for my friends and aquaintances. This is to eat today, this is for tomorrow, this is for the day after tomorrow.” Then it became clear that the garlic field had been plucked empty. When the owner of the garlic returned and saw that the garlic was gone, they asked the guard of the field:

“Why is there no more garlic?” They answered: “Great householder, previously out of joyous faith, you gave each person of the bhikkhunī sangha five bulbs of garlic daily. A while ago, sāmaṇerīs and sikkhamānās came to me and said to me: ‘Where is the owner of the garlic now?’ I answered: ‘They’ve gone to Vesālī to sell garlic.’ I asked them: “Why do you ask?” They answered me: ‘The owner of the garlic gives each of us five bulbs of garlic daily. Please give them to us now.’ I answered: ‘Wait a little. Wait until the owner of the field returns. I can just watch over (the field), that’s all. I’m not allowed to decide this on my own.’ The bhikkhunī said: ‘The great householder gave me garlic, but the slave isn’t willing to give it to me.’ Then when she had instructed the sāmaṇerīs to pluck the garlic, she calculated the amount: ‘This is for the most senior nun, for the other seniors, for the preceptors, for the teachers, for those with the same preceptor as myself, for those with the same teacher as myself, and for my friends and aquaintances. This is to eat today, this is for tomorrow, this is for the day after tomorrow.’ And moreover she also ate some. For this reason the garlic field is completely empty.” The owner of the field then was upset and said: “This bhikkhunī has no shame and accepts without moderation. Outwardly she praises herself: ‘I know the true dhamma’, how is that the true dhamma? Even if a supporter offers, she should still know moderation, especially if she doesn’t see the owner and takes everything.”

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 Thullanandā bhikkhunī: “Why did you pluck all their garlic, and also ate some and took some away without leaving any remainder?” Then the bhikkhunīs went and told the bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus went and told the World-honored One. The World-honored One for this reason gathered the bhikkhu sangha, and criticized Thullanandā bhikkhunī: “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 did you, without seeing the owner, pluck all their garlic?” Then, when the World-honored One had criticized her in countless ways, he said to the bhikkhus:

Past Life Story

In the past, there was a brahmin who was 120 years old, and weak and feeble. This brahmin’s wife was beautiful beyond compare, and gave birth to many sons and daughters. The brahmin’s mind was tied to his wife and the children, and he just couldn’t abandon them. With this sincere feeling of love and attachment, he reached the end of his life, and was reborn as a goose. The feathers on his body were all golden. Because of previous meritorious causes, he remembered his past lives and thought to himself: “By what means will I care for these children and let them not live in poverty?” Every day, he came to his house, dropped one golden feather, and left. When the children obtained it, they thought to themselves: “For what reason does this king of geese come every day, drop a golden feather for us, and leave? We’d better wait until he comes, plan to catch him, and take all the golden feathers.” As they had planned, they caught him and plucked the golden feathers. When they had taken them, he regrew white feathers.” The Buddha told the bhikkhus: “If you want to know about the brahmin at that time who died and became a goose, how could he be a different person? Don’t think he was someone else, he has become the owner of the field. His beautiful wife who gave birth to many sons and daughters has become Thullanandā bhikkhunī. The sons and daughters have become the sikkhamānās and sāmaṇerīs. Their original craving has made the golden feathers vanish and white feathers appear. And now again their desire has used up the garlic, and they’ve become destitute.”

Origin Story (continued)

When the World-honored One had criticized Thullanandā bhikkhunī in countless ways, he said to the bhikkhus: “This bhikkhunī has all kinds of taints, and is 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 eats garlic, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanation

The meaning of “bhikkhunī” is as above.

If a bhikkhunī eats fresh garlic, cooked garlic, or something mixed with garlic, each mouthful is a pācittiya.

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 she has a certain illness and eats cakes stuffed with garlic; if other medicines don’t cure her, and she just needs to take garlic to be cured, it’s allowed to take it; or if she applies it on an abscess, 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 70th rule.)