Confession 84

Origin Story

At that time, the Blessed One was in Rājagaha on Vulture’s peak.

Then there was a high official without joyous faith in Rājagaha who had a one-person bench where nobody dared to sit down on. Thullanandā bhikkhunī often went in and out of their house. They were her supporters. When the right time had come, Thullanandā put on her robes, took her bowl, and went to their home. Without telling anyone, she sat on the high official’s bench. When the high official saw her, he asked: “Who has let this bhikkhunī sit on my bench?” They answered: “Nobody has spoken with her. She just came and sat down by herself.” Then the high official was upset and said: “Thullanandā bhikkhunī has no shame. Outwardly, she praises herself: ‘I know the true dhamma’, how is that the true dhamma? Why does a bhikkhunī without telling the owner sit on their seat? There’s no difference to criminals and prostitutes.” When Thullanandā sat on the bench, she had her menses, and when the impurity had soiled his bench and mat, she left and went away. When the high official saw this, he got angry again and said: “This bhikkhunī knows no shame. Outwardly, she praises herself: ‘I know the true dhamma’, how is that the true dhamma? Without telling the owner, she sits on their seat. What’s the difference to prostitutes and criminals?”

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 rebuked Thullanandā bhikkhunī: “Why, bhikkhunī, did you, without speaking to the owner, just sit on their bench?” 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 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, Thullanandā bhikkhunī, did you, without speaking to the owner, just sit on their bench?” Then, when the World-honored One had criticized Thullanandā bhikkhunī in countless ways, he said to the bhikkhus: “This Thullanandā 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 enters a lay house, and without speaking to the owner, just sits on a bench, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanation

The meaning of “bhikkhunī” is as above.

If a bhikkhunī enters a lay house, and without speaking to the owner, just sits on a bench, it’s 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 tells the owner and sits down, if she sits on her regular seat, if they’re friends, if there’s a friend who says: “Just sit down without worries, I’ll tell the owner,” if she sits on a stone, on a log, on the hard ground, or on a layer of grass, if an insanity or illness arises and she lies down on the ground, if she’s held by force, if her life is in danger, or if her celibacy is in danger, 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 84th rule.)