Confession 148

Origin Story

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

Then there was a householder who wanted to prepare a complete meal and drinks and invite the bhikkhunī sangha. The night before, they prepared many kinds of good food and drinks, and when the night had passed, at dawn, they went and informed (the sangha) that the time had come. That day was a worldly holiday in Sāvatthī and many householders took cooked rice, dried cooked rice, flour, fish, or meat and came to the monastery to give it to the bhikkhunīs. The bhikkhunīs accepted these food offerings and ate them. Afterwards, they went to the householder’s home to eat. Then the householder served curries and rice with their own hands to the bhikkhunīs. The bhikkhunīs said: “Enough! Enough! Householder, you don’t need to put much.” The householder replied: “I’ve fully prepared these many kinds of good food and drinks, and a dish of meat for each person, truly just for the venerables! Don’t think I’m a person without faith, and don’t eat. May the venerables just eat, I truly have faith.” The bhikkhunīs replied: “We didn’t think that. This morning was a holiday, and many householders took cooked rice, flour, dried cooked rice, fish, meat, or various kinds of curries and rice, and came to the monastery to give it to the bhikkhunīs. We’ve already eaten earlier, therefore we just accept a little.” Then the householders were all upset and said: “These bhikkhunīs know no moderation. Outwardly, they praise themselves: ‘We know the true dhamma’, how is that the true dhamma? Why have they first accepted our invitation, then again accepted other people’s various kinds of food, and having eaten, they later accepted our food?”

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 did you first accept the householder’s invitation and later accept other food?” Then they 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 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 did you first accept the householder’s invitation and later again accept other food?” When he had criticized them 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 has first accepted an invitation, and if she has eaten sufficiently, later eats cooked rice, flour, dried cooked rice, fish, and meat, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanation

The meaning of “bhikkhunī” is as above.

If a bhikkhunī has first accepted an invitation, and if she has already eaten sufficiently, later eats someone else’s cooked rice, flour, dried cooked rice, fish, and meat, each mouthful is a pācittiya.’”

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

“Not committed” means if she accepts an invitation for what isn’t staple food i.e. an invitation for bhojanīya, not khādanīya.*, if she hasn’t eaten sufficiently at the invitation, if she hasn’t first been invited and then still receives more food on top of other food, or if she accepts breakfast and lunch in someone’s home, 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 148th rule.)