Confession 162

First Origin Story

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

Then there was a bhikkhunī among the group-of-six bhikkhunīs who just opened the monastery gate around dusk and left without telling anyone. When criminals saw this, they thought: “We’ll plunder their valuables.” Having thought this, they immediately entered through the gate and stole all the valuables. Then the bhikkhunīs asked each other: “Who opened the gate around dusk and left without telling anyone?” Then they heard that one of the group-of-six bhikkhunīs had opened the gate and left.

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 the group-of-six bhikkhunī: “Why did you open the gate around dusk without telling anyone and leave?” 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 the group-of-six 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, bhikkhunī, did you open the gate around dusk without telling anyone and leave?” When he had criticized her 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:

Preliminary Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī opens the monastery gate around dusk and leaves, it’s a pācittiya.’” In this way the World-honored One laid down the precept for the bhikkhunīs.

Second Origin Story

Then the bhikkhunīs had matters of the Buddha, the dhamma, and the sangha, or they looked after the sick. They all had doubts and didn’t dare to leave. The Buddha said: “From now on, I allow to inform someone and leave. From now on, you should recite the precept like this:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī opens the monastery gate around dusk and leaves without informing other bhikkhunīs, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanation

The meaning of “bhikkhunī” is as above.

If a bhikkhunī opens the monastery gate around dusk and leaves without informing anyone, it’s a pācittiya. If she has one foot inside and one foot outside, if she plans and wishes to go but doesn’t go, or if she makes an appointment to go but doesn’t go, all cases are dukkaṭas.

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 there are matters of the Buddha, the dhamma, and the sangha, or if she looks after the sick, and she informs someone and leaves, if the monastery is destroyed, if it’s on fire, if there’s a poisonous snake, a criminal, or a savage animal, if she’s held by force, if she’s arrested and made to go, if her life is in danger, or if her celibacy is in danger, and she leaves without informing anyone, 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 162nd rule.)