Acknowledgment 1-8

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 asked for ghee and ate it. When the householders saw it, they were all upset and said: “These bhikkhunīs know no shame. They ask without limit. Outwardly, they praise themselves: ‘We know the true dhamma’, how is that the true dhamma? They ask for ghee and eat it, there’s no difference to criminals and prostitutes.”

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 bhikkhunīs: “Why did you ask for ghee and eat it?” Having criticized them, they then 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 ask for ghee and eat it?” 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:

Preliminary Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī asks for ghee and eats it, she commits an offense that should be confessed and criticized. She should say to another bhikkhunī: “Venerable sister, I’ve committed an offense to be criticized, that shouldn’t be done. I now confess it to the venerable sister.” This is called an offense to be confessed.’ In this way the World-honored One laid down the precept for the bhikkhunīs.

Second Origin Story

Another (bhikkhunī) had doubts and didn’t dare to ask for someone who was sick, she didn’t dare to ask when she herself was sick, and when others asked for her, she also didn’t dare to eat it. The Buddha said: “From now on, I allow to ask when oneself is sick, to ask for another who is sick, and to eat what others have asked for and obtained. From now on, you should recite the precept like this:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī who isn’t sick asks for ghee and eats it, she commits an offense that should be confessed and criticized. She should say to another bhikkhunī: “Venerable sister, I’ve committed an offense to be criticized, that shouldn’t be done. I now confess it to the venerable sister.” This is called an offense to be confessed.’

Explanation

The meaning of “bhikkhunī” is as above.

If a bhikkhunī who isn’t sick asks for ghee and eats it, each mouthful is a pātidesanīya.

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 asks when she’s sick, if she asks for someone who is sick, if she asks for others, if others ask for her, or if she obtains it without asking, 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. (The first rule.)

Asking for oil, honey, black sugar, milk, curds, fish, or meat is the same as asking for ghee.

The first four precepts are dukkaṭas for a bhikkhu, a sikkhamānā, a sāmaṇera, and a sāmaṇerī. The last four are pācittiyas for a bhikkhu. Pāli bhikkhu pācittiya 39 covers all of these 8 foods and also adds butter, and assigns a pācittiya for all of them. However, the Dharmaguptaka bhikkhu parallel, pācittiya 40, only covers milk, curds, fish, and meat.* For a sikkhamānā, a sāmaṇera, and a sāmaṇerī, they’re dukkaṭas. The following many training precepts (sekhiyas) are the same as the bhikkhu precepts, therefore they’re not repeated.

Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, fascicle 30.