Relinquishment With Confession 25

Origin Story

At that time, Khemā bhikkhunī arrived in Sāvatthī and did the uposatha outdoors. She was troubled by wind and rain, dirty ground, and mosquitos and gadflies. The bhikkhunīs who had lived there for a long time told a householder: “Now the bhikkhunī sangha does the uposatha outdoors and is troubled by such and such things. According to what the Buddha said, offering the sangha a hall is the most excellent deed. It’d be good, householder, if you built an uposatha hall for the sangha.” They answered: “I’m very busy and am not able to build it myself. I now hand these items over to the venerables. Please arrange it together. When it has been built, tell me, and I’ll go myself to offer it to the sangha.” When the bhikkhunīs had obtained these items, they said to each other: “Our robes are worn out and breaking up. We can distribute these items and everyone uses them to make (robes). This will simultaneously ward off the troubles of doing the uposatha outdoors.” Having said that, they distributed them and made robes. When the robes were finished, they told the householder: “You should rejoice! The bhikkhunīs’ robes were worn out and breaking up. We distributed the items you gave, and used them to make robes. The making of robes is finished.” When the householder heard this, they criticized them: “I don’t rejoice! Why? Previously you said that building an uposatha hall was the most excellent deed, so why did you now take (my items) and use them to make robes?”

When the senior bhikkhunīs heard it, they criticized them in all kinds of ways, … “I now lay down a precept for the bhikkhunīs, as explained above. From now on, this precept should be recited thus:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī asks for something for the sangha from a householder, and then uses it for another purpose, it’s a nissaggiya pācittiya.’”

If the wish to distribute arises in her mind, and if she plans it, both cases are dukkaṭas.

This item should be relinquished to the sangha. It may not be relinquished to one, two, or three bhikkhunīs.

For a sikkhamānā and a sāmaṇerī, it’s a dukkaṭa.

Even if she has asked for one thing, if the supporter later themselves makes her use it for another purpose, the offense isn’t committed.