Confession 70

Origin Stories

At that time, the bhikkhunīs ate fresh and cooked garlic in the mornings and afternoons, either by itself or together with other food, and the building became smelly. When the householders came and saw it, and smelled the garlic stench, they criticized them: “It’s really like the kitchen of a lay house.”

There were also bhikkhunīs who went to a householder’s home. The householder smelled the stench of them eating garlic, and said: “Venerables, go back. Your mouths are reeking of garlic.” The bhikkhunīs were ashamed.

There was also a garlic vendor who invited the bhikkhunīs and gave garlic. Because of this, they became poor and had no more drinks and food. Their slaves said: “If you can’t give us food, release us and let us go. You’ve made yourself a slave to the bhikkhunīs for a long time.” When the neighbors heard this, they criticized them: “Your own family has no food, why do you share it with the bhikkhunīs?” They explained this matter in full. There were those without joyous faith in the Buddha’s dhamma who said: “Because you were friendly with the bhikkhunīs, such suffering has come to you. If you keep on being friendly, it’ll become even tougher than this. These renunciates originally sought liberation, and now they crave for delicious tastes. This isn’t the practice of renunciates. They’ve broken the rules of renunciates.” 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 eats garlic, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanations

If she eats fresh garlic, each each mouthful is a pācittiya. If she eats cooked garlic, it’s a dukkaṭa.

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

If she eats it when she’s sick, or when she’s overpowered by force and made to eat it, the offense isn’t committed.