Confession 92

First Origin Story

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

Then the group-of-six bhikkhunīs intentionally recited suttas, asked for explanations, and taught in front of others who had lived there before when they had arrived later, or who had arrived later when they had lived there before, to irritate them.

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 the group-of-six bhikkhunīs: “Why did you, when someone had lived there before and you had arrived later, or who arrived later when you had lived there before, recite suttas, ask for explanations, or teach in front of her to irritate her?” 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: “Why did you, when someone had lived there before and you had arrived later, or who arrived later when you had lived there before, recite suttas, ask for explanations, or teach in front of her to irritate her?” Then, when the World-honored One had criticized the group-of-six 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:

Preliminary Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī, when someone has lived there before and she has arrived later, or who has arrived later when she has lived there before, recites suttas, asks for explanations, or teaches in front of her to irritate her, it’s a pācittiya.’” In this way the World-honored One laid down the precept for the bhikkhunīs.

Second Origin Story

The bhikkhunīs also didn’t know who had lived there before and who hadn’t lived there before, and they didn’t know who had arrived later and who hadn’t arrived later. They only found out later. Among them, some confessed a pācittiya, some had doubts. (The Buddha said:) “If you don’t know, there’s no offense. From now on, you should recite the precept like this:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī knows that someone has lived there before and she has arrived later, or has arrived later when she has lived there before, and she recites suttas, asks for explanations, or teaches in front of her to irritate her, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanation

The meaning of “bhikkhunī” is as above.

If a bhikkhunī knows that someone has lived there before and she has arrived later, or has arrived later when she has lived there before, and she recites suttas, asks for explanations, or teaches in front of her to irritate her, if she speaks and the other understands, it’s a pācittiya. If the other doesn’t understand, it’s a dukkaṭa.

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 doesn’t know, if the other has allowed it previously, if they’re friends, if her friend says: “Just teach, I’ll tell her,” if the one who has lived there before learns suttas from the one who has arrived later, if the one who has arrived later learns to recite from the one who has lived there before, if both together learn from another, if one asks and the other answers, if they recite together, if she says it jokingly, if she speaks quickly, if she speaks in a dream, or if she wants to say one thing but by mistake says something else, 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 92nd rule.)