Confession 170

First Origin Story

At that time, the bhikkhunīs went to lay houses at the wrong time. There was one house with great wealth, and criminals always wanted to rob it, but hadn’t yet been able to. They asked passers-by: “Who enters and leaves this house?” Some people said: “Thullanandā bhikkhunī is on good terms with this family and often comes and goes.” The criminals then went and said to Thullanandā: “Venerable, So-and-so is summoning you.” She followed the words and went in the dark. The owner opened the gate for her, and the criminals then forced their way in and plundered everything. The owner complained angrily: “If this bhikkhunī hadn’t come at the wrong time, I wouldn’t have opened the door and encountered this trouble. We supported her hoping for merit, but instead it has brought us disaster. What’s the difference between a helper and an enemy?” The senior bhikkhunīs criticized her 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:

Preliminary Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī enters a lay house at the wrong time, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Second Origin Story

There were also bhikkhunīs who didn’t dare to go when lay people called them. They told the Buddha of this. The Buddha gathered both sanghas because of this matter and told the bhikkhus: “Now I allow the bhikkhunīs to go if lay people summon them. From now on, this precept should be recited thus:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī hasn’t been summoned by lay people, and enters their house at the wrong time, it’s a pācittiya.’”

“The wrong time” means from after noon to before the next dawn.

If a lay person summons her, she should examine if that messenger is a trustworthy person. She should also interrogate them to know if they’re fake or real. If she has doubts, then when she reaches the gate, she should first ask that family: “Did you really summon me?”, and then enter. She should also consider whether it’s not a fearful time.

If she goes to a lay house at the wrong time, and steps outside the gate with one foot, it’s a dukkaṭa. If she steps outside with the second foot, it’s a pācittiya.

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