Confession 120

Origin Story

The Buddha was staying in Vesāli. At that time, Sujātā bhikkhunī had been Udāyī’s former wife. She said to Udāyī: “Venerable, tomorrow I’ll guard the monastery, you can come and visit me.” Then, the bhikkhunīs had all entered the village on almsround. Udāyī put on his robes, took his bowl, and entered the bhikkhunī monastery. The two stayed together behind the building, exposed their bodies, sat down and squatted, and looked at each other with a lustful mind. Then there was an old and sick bhikkhunī who came out wanting to relieve herself. When she saw them, she felt ashamed and went away.

For this reason, she spoke with Mahāpajāpatī, … The Buddha said: “Summon that bhikkhunī.” When she came, he said: “This is an unwholesome thing. … Those who have already heard it should listen again:

Final Ruling

If a bhikkhunī sits together with one bhikkhu in an empty, quiet place, it’s a pācittiya.”

Explanation

“One” means together with one bhikkhu without other people. If the people who are there are asleep, drunk, distraught, deluded, overwhelmed by suffering and pain, young children, non-humans, or animals, it’s still called “one”. “Empty and quiet” means an avoided corner, a place without people. “Sitting” means sitting together; this is a pācittiya. “Pācittiya” is as explained above. If a bhikkhunī sits together along with a bhikkhu the whole day, it’s a pācittiya. If she gets up in between, returns, and sits down, then each time she sits down is another pācittiya. If a bhikkhunī sits alone in a building, and suddenly a bhikkhu enters and sits down, the bhikkhunī should get up quickly. When wanting to get up, she should first speak with him, so as not to make the bhikkhu feel strange. If he asks: “Why do you get up?”, she should say: “The World-honored One has laid down a precept that I’m not allowed to sit together alone with a bhikkhu.” If a boy is below seven years old, it’s still an offense. How much time is called “sitting”? The short while that it takes to fetch food for a renunciate on almsround. If there’s an attendant who is doing some work, constantly coming and going, entering and leaving, there’s no offense. If the building door faces the street and there constantly are passer-bys, there’s no offense. If there are only occasionally passer-bys, it’s a pācittiya. If the attendant is asleep, one should snap one’s fingers to wake her up. If they’re on the top of the temple building and a person below can see them, or if they’re at the bottom of the temple building and a person above can see them, and the three of them can see each other, there’s no offense. They may be visible but inaudible; or audible but invisible; or both visible and audible; or neither visible nor audible. “Visible but not audible” means seeing the bhikkhu and the bhikkhunī sitting from a distance, but not hearing the sound of their speech. “Audible but not visible” means hearing the sound of their speech, but not seeing them. In this way, (the other two cases) should be explained in detail. If they’re visible but inaudible, she breaks a minor vinaya rule. If they’re audible but invisible, she also breaks a minor vinaya rule. If they’re visible and audible, there’s no offense. If they’re invisible and inaudible, it’s a pācittiya. It’s an offense, both in a village and in the wilderness, during daytime and at night, at the right time and at the wrong time, in a hidden place, not in the open, if she’s with one man, not if she’s with a group, if they’re close together, not if they’re far apart. This is what the World-honored One said.