Confession 84

Origin Story

The Buddha was staying in Sāvatthī. At that time, Visākhā Migāramātā had invited both sanghas. Then a bhikkhunī went to her house in the morning and said to the lay woman: “You’ve invited both sanghas for today. How can we repay that?” Migāramātā said: “Venerable, just recite suttas and practise the path. That’ll repay my kindness.” She replied: “That’s true. Still we’ll make a small repayment with something else.” Then they took her cotton to the top of the temple building. Some plucked it, some carded it, some spun it. When they had finished the balls of thread, they told her: “We wish to repay you, so we’ve now finished this.” The lay woman said: “This thing isn’t a repayment. If you wish to repay me, then after eating, you should do sitting meditation, learn suttas, and recite them. That would be a repayment.”

When the bhikkhunīs heard this, they told Mahāpajāpatī, and she fully informed the World-honored One of this matter. The Buddha said: “Summon those bhikkhunīs.” When they came, he asked them: “Did you really do this?” They answered: “We really did this.” The Buddha said: “This is an unwholesome thing. From now on, it’s no longer allowed to do worldly activities for lay families.” The Buddha told Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī: “Convene all the bhikkhunīs living in the vicinity of Sāvatthī. … Those who have already heard it should listen again:

Final Ruling

If a bhikkhunī works for lay people, it’s a pācittiya.”

Explanation

“A bhikkhunī” is as explained above. “Lay people” means white-clothed families. “Working for lay people” means plucking, carding, and spinning cotton, or pounding, scrubbing, and washing clothes. If she does such work for lay families, it’s a pācittiya. “Pācittiya” is as explained above. A bhikkhunī may not work for lay people. If because a supporter wants to make an offering to the Buddha, they say: “Venerable, help me to make the items for the offering,” then she may help to tye flower garlands, or grind incence. If a bhikkhu helps lay people to do work, he breaks a minor vinaya rule. This is what the World-honored One said.