Confession 135

Origin Stories

At that time, the bhikkhunīs threw excrement and urine over fences and walls, and soiled and dirtied humans and non-humans.

Then there was a brahmin high official wearing a ceremonial hat, having ritually cleaned himself and being pure, having bathed in the morning, wearing perfumed robes, who wanted to go to a brahminical temple to call on the temple manager. He wrapped his head while walking in the streets, fearful of seeing a shaven-headed patchwork-robed person. When he reached the outside of the bhikkhunīs’ wall, it so happened that someone threw out excrement which flowed over his head, and streamed down his entire body. Then he said greatly angered: “I feared to see these inauspicious people, but now the excrement that they’ve thown out flows over me. This must be the most inauspicious thing in my life. So I must go to king Pasenadi and tell him to kill these bald slavewomen.” At this, he returned, and met a brahmin fortune-teller. That brahmin asked him: “Why are you like this?”, and he explained this matter in full. The fortune-teller said: “It really is highly auspicious! Now you’ll obtain 1,000 gold coins, and also your original official rank.” For the full story of how he lost his original rank, see Mūlasarvāstivāda bhikkhunī pācittiya 80.* His anger still hadn’t stopped, and while his body was still soiled with excrement, he went straight to the king. The king asked: “Why are you like this?”, and he explained this matter in full. The king clapped his hands and laughed much. Then he granted him 1,000 gold coins, and also his earlier official rank. The king’s ministers criticized it: “Throwing excrement and soiling people, how could they possibly have the intention of seeking the path and saving others?” 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 throws excrement and urine over a fence or wall, or has others throw them, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanations

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