Confession 176

Origin Story

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

Then the group-of-six bhikkhunīs put on their robes and walked around swaying their bodies to look good. When the householders saw this, they were all upset and said: “These bhikkhunīs know no shame, they’ve broken celibacy. Outwardly, they praise themselves: ‘We know the true dhamma’, how is that the true dhamma? They walk around swaying their bodies to look good. There’s no 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 the group-of-six bhikkhunīs: “Why did you walk around swaying your bodies to look good? There’s no difference to prostitutes and criminals.” Then the bhikkhunīs 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 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 walk around swaying your bodies to look good?” 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 walks around swaying her body to look good, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanation

The meaning of “bhikkhunī” is as above.

If a bhikkhunī walks around swaying her body to look good, 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 has a certain illness at that time, if when someone attacks her she avoids their staff, if a violent elephant comes, if she encounters a criminal or a savage animal, if there are thorny brambles and she holds them away with her hand, if she crosses a river, a ditch, or a pool of water, if she crosses mud, if when she wants to put on her robes neatly, she fears that the height is uneven, that it’s like an elepant’s trunk, a palm leaf, or in fine pleats, and therefore she inspects it all around and sways her body to look, 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 176th rule.)