Suspension 8

Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, fascicle 23 (Part 2.2, explanation of the bhikkhunī rules.)

Translated by the Kāśmīra Tipiṭaka master Buddhayaśas together with Zhú Fóniàn in the later Qin state.

The remainder of the 17 saṅghādisesa rules

Origin Story

At that time, the Buddha was in Sāvatthī. Then, grain and rice had become very expensive in the world, and almsfood was hard to get. The bhikkhunīs entered the city on almsround, and returned with empty bowls. Then Tissanandā bhikkhunī, when the right time had come, put on her robes, took her bowl, and entered the city on almsround. Walking on continuous round, she came to a merchant’s home, and stood there silently. Tissanandā was good-looking, and when the merchant saw her, his mind attached to her. In front of her, he asked: “Venerable, what are you looking for?” She replied: “I want almsfood.” He said: “Give me your bowl.” Then she gave him her bowl, he filled it up with curries and rice, and gave it back to Tissā bhikkhunī. Later, Tissā bhikkhunī often put on her robes, took her bowl, went to the merchant’s home, and stood there silently. He again asked her: “Venerable, what are you looking for?” She replied: “I want almsfood.” He then again filled up her bowl with curries and rice, and gave it to her. When the bhikkhunīs saw it, they asked: “As now grain and rice have become very expensive and almsfood is hard to get, we all enter the city on almsround, and return with empty bowls. But you come back from almsround every day with a full bowl. How do you do that?”

She replied: “Younger sisters, I obtain it on almsround.” On another day, Tissā bhikkhunī, when the right time had come, put on her robes, took her bowl, and went to the merchant’s home. That man had seen the bhikkhunī from a distance, and thought calculatingly: “As I constantly give this bhikkhunī food, I’ve spent the sum of about 500 gold coins. That’s the price of a woman.” Then, he grabbed the bhikkhunī from the front, and wanted to have sexual intercourse. The bhikkhunī called out: “Don’t do that! Don’t do that!” The merchants closeby then asked her: “Why did you shout so loudly just now?” She answered: “This man grabbed me.” They asked him: “Why did you grab the bhikkhunī?” The merchant answered: “I constantly gave this bhikkhunī food. I’ve spent about 500 gold coins on her. That’s the price of a woman. If this bhikkhunī didn’t crave for me, why did she accept my food?” The people asked the bhikkhunī: “Did you really do this?” She answered: “I really did this.” They asked the bhikkhunī: “Did you know his intention for giving you food?” She answered: “I knew.” Then they said again: “If you knew, why did you shout so loudly?”

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 Tissanandā bhikkhunī: “Why does a bhikkhunī with a defiled mind accept food from a man with a defiled mind?” The bhikkhunīs 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 Tissanandā 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 did you with a defiled mind accept food from a man with a defiled mind?” When he had criticized her in countless ways, he said to the bhikkhus: “This Tissanandā 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: ‘If a bhikkhunī with a defiled mind accepts edibles, food, and other things, from a man with a defiled mind, that bhikkhunī commits an immediate offense that should be given up, a saṅghādisesa.’”

In this way the World-honored One laid down the precept for the bhikkhunīs. Then the bhikkhunīs didn’t know if someone had a defiled mind or not, and they only found out later that they had a defiled mind. Some said that they had committed a saṅghādisesa. 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 with a defiled mind knows that a man has a defiled mind, and accepts edibles, food, and other things from him, that bhikkhunī commits an immediate offense that should be given up, a saṅghādisesa.’”

Explanation

The meaning of “bhikkhunī” is as above.

“A defiled mind” means a lustful mind with defiled attachment.

“A man with a defiled mind” means also a lustful mind with defiled attachment.

“Edibles” khādanīya* means food from roots, stalks, leaves, flowers, fruits, oil, sesame, black sugar, or from powder.

“Food” bhojanīya* means cooked rice, flour, dried cooked rice, fish and meat.

“Other things” means gold Possibly a translation of suvaṇṇa. Gold appears twice in this list, and the second time is a translation of jātarūpa.*, silver, jewels, gems, pearls, beryl, shells, jade, corals, money, and gold jātarūpa 生像*.

If a bhikkhunī with a defiled mind knows that a man has a defiled mind, and accepts edibles, food, and other things from him, if he gives it and she accepts it, it’s a saṅghādisesa. If he gives it and she doesn’t accept it, it’s a thullaccaya. If he plans and wishes to give, but then doesn’t give, or if they make an appointment, but she regrets it and goes back, in all cases it’s a thullaccaya. If she accepts edibles, food, and other things from a god, an asura, a gandhabba, a yakkha, a hungry ghost, or an animal that can change shape, if he gives it and she accepts it, it’s a thullaccaya. If it can’t change shape, it’s a dukkaṭa. If she accepts edibles, food, and other things from a woman with a defiled mind, it’s a dukkaṭa. If the other has a defiled mind and she perceives it as a defiled mind, it’s a saṅghādisesa. If he has a defiled mind and she’s in doubt about it, it’s a thullaccaya. If he doesn’t have a defiled mind and she perceives it as a defiled mind, it’s a thullaccaya. If he doesn’t have a defiled mind and she’s in doubt about it, 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 at first, or if she has an undefiled mind and he also has an undefiled mind, 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 eighth rule.)