Confession 85

Origin Story

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

Then there was a group of bhikkhunīs who were walking on a road towards the country of Kosala and had reached a village without a resthouse. When they had arrived (at someone’s house), they laid out sitting mat to stay overnight there by themselves without telling the owner. When the householders saw it, they asked: “Who has arranged for these bhikkhunīs to stay overnight there?” They answered: “Nobody has arranged it. They came by themselves and settled there.” Then the householders were upset and said: “These bhikkhunīs know no shame. Outwardly, they praise themselves: ‘We know the true dhamma’, how is that the true dhamma? Why does a bhikkhunī, without telling the owner, enter their house, and just arrange to stay there herself? 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 these bhikkhunīs: “Why, bhikkhunīs, did you, without telling the owner, just enter their house, and sit and lie down to stay overnight?” 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 these 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, bhikkhunīs, did you, without telling the owner, just enter their house, and stay overnight sitting and lying down?” Then, when the World-honored One had criticized these bhikkhunīs in countless ways, he said to the bhikkhus: “These 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 enters a lay house, and without telling the owner, just lays out seats to stay overnight, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanation

The meaning of “bhikkhunī” is as above.

“Laying out seats” means laying out grass, or tree leaves, … or a sleeping mat.

If a bhikkhunī enters a lay house and, without telling the owner, lays out sitting mat by herself to stay overnight, whenever her flanks touch the ground, each time she turns over 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 tells the owner and stays overnight, if it’s an empty house, if it’s a house for making merit, if it’s an aquaintance, if there’s a friend who says: “Just sit down, I’ll tell the owner about you”, if she’s held by force, if she’s arrested, 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 85th rule.)