Expulsion 7

Origin Story

The Buddha was staying at Vesālī. As explained in detail above. At that time, two boys were born first into a Licchavi family, and then a girl was born inauspiciously. They thought: “Now who will take care of this misfortunate girl?” People asked them: “Do you want to place that girl (somewhere else)?” They answered: “We want to do that.” “In that case, you can take her to Kālī bhikkhunī who will raise her for you.” They summoned Kālī and said: “Venerable, this inauspicious girl has now been born into our family, and nobody takes care of her. Raise her for us and give her the going forth. We’ll provide robes and food.” The bhikkhunī then took her, raised her, and gave her the going forth. Her family sent food every day and gave robes every year. When she had grown up, she was given the training precepts and then received the full ordination. In a woman’s nature, sexual desire abounds. As she was getting older, she burned with passions and couldn’t restrain herself. Then she informed her teacher: “My defilements have arisen and I’m not happy as a renunciate. I now want to return to lay life.” The teacher said: “How strange! The lay world is like a fiery pit. How could you be happy there?” After that, she slowly associated with lay people and non-Buddhist renunciates, and soon became pregnant. The bhikkhunīs then expelled her, and said to her teacher: “Didn’t you know that your student had affairs with lay people and non-Buddhist renunciates?” She answered: “I knew it very early. But her family sends food every day, and offers robes every year. If I had told the sangha, you’d have expelled her. I benefit from these two things, therefore I didn’t tell you.”

The bhikkhunīs then told Mahāpajāpatī, and she went and informed the World-honored One of this matter. The Buddha said: “Summon Kālī.” When she came, he asked her: “Did you really do this?” She answered: “I really did this, World-honored One.” The Buddha said: “This is an unwholesome thing. Kālī, why did you, knowing that a bhikkhunī had committed a grave offense, conceal it? This is against the dhamma, against the vinaya. One can’t develop in wholesome states like this.” The Buddha told Mahāpajāpatī: “Convene all the bhikkhunīs living in the vicinity of Vesālī. … Those who have already heard it should listen again:

Final Ruling

If a bhikkhunī knows that another bhikkhunī has committed a grave offense, and doesn’t tell anyone, and if that second bhikkhunī leaves that place, or dies, or disrobes, she afterwards says: “I knew before that that bhikkhunī committed a grave offense, and didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t want to let others know,” that bhikkhunī is pārājika, and shouldn’t live in community.”

Explanation

“A bhikkhunī” is as explained above. “Knows” means she either knows herself or hears it from others. “A grave offense” means committing any of the eight pārājikas. “Not telling anyone” means not telling an individual, a group, or the sangha. “Leaving that place” means she’s expelled. “Dying” means succumbing to impermanence. “Disrobing” means leaving this dhamma and vinaya, and becoming a lay person or a non-Buddhist renunciate. If she says afterwards: “I knew before that she committed an offense, but I didn’t want to let others know,” that bhikkhunī is pārājika, and shouldn’t live in community. “A pārājika” is as explained above.

If a bhikkhunī goes out at dawn, sees another bhikkhunī commit a grave offense, and doesn’t have the intention to conceal it, but at sunrise has the intention to conceal it, then at the next dawn, that bhikkhunī has committed a pārājika. This is called “the two times.” In the same way … the eight times. dawn, sunrise, mealtime, noon, afternoon, sunset, evening, midnight.* As explained in detail in the bhikkhu rule about concealing. If a bhikkhunī sees another bhikkhunī commit a grave offense, she should tell others. If she sees a student living with her or depending on her commit a grave offense, and thinks: “If I tell others, the bhikkhunīs will expel her,” and conceals her offense out of affection, she incurs a pārājika. If a bhikkhunī who has heard (of an offense), says to a bhikkhunī who is a friend: “So-and-so has committed a grave offense. If I tell others, the bhikkhunī sangha will expel her. Therefore, I’ll conceal it,” and that bhikkhunī, when she has heard it, also thinks: “If I tell someone, these two people will both be expelled,” and then also conceals it, they all incur pārājikas.

In this way, all who conceal each other in a row are pārājika. If a bhikkhunī sees another commit a grave offense, and says to another bhikkhunī: “I saw So-and-so commit a grave offense,” and that bhikkhunī then criticizes her: “You just did something unwholesome. Why did you tell me? Don’t speak about it again,” (the second bhikkhunī) incurs a thullaccaya. If a bhikkhunī sees another bhikkhunī commit a grave offense, she should tell others. If the offender is fierce, frightening, and stronger, and she fears that she’ll take her life or harm her monastic life, she should think: “She should know herself about the kammic retributions, just as an out-of-control fire burns down a house. One can only save oneself. Why should I get involved in other people’s affairs,” and she’s able to thoroughly let it go in her mind, there’s no offense. This is what was said.