Expulsion 5

Origin Story

At that time, Visākhā’s son-in-law was called Migāraputta. Migāraputta respected Visākhā as one respects a mother. Then people started to call Visākhā “Migāraputta’s mother.” Her grandson was called Sāḷha. Sāḷha often attached his mind to Thullanandā bhikkhunī. Later, he invited the bhikkhunī sangha. Thullanandā pretended to be sick and didn’t go. She sat and guarded the sangha building together with a small sāmaṇerī. When the time had come, the bhikkhunī sangha came to his house, and Sāḷha gave out the food with his own hands and asked: “Why didn’t Thullanandā come?” The bhikkhunīs answered: “Because she’s sick, the sangha has assigned her to guard the building, therefore she didn’t come.” When he had given food to the senior bhikkhunī, he rushed (to Thullanandā) and asked: “From what do you suffer?” She answered: “My bones and joint are all painful.” He then massaged her. The bhikkhunī said: “I allow you to massage me everywhere, but you may not engage in desire.” When he had massaged her, he asked: “What item do you need?” She answered: “I need a dried jujube.” He bought it and gave it to her.

The bhikkhunī took up a jujube in her hands and asked: “Do you see this dried jujube?” He answered: “I see it.” The bhikkhunī said: “If people attach their mind to something where they can’t act out their desire, their spiritual brilliance also dies up and shrivels like this.” At this, Sāḷha and this bhikkhunī touched each other’s bodies in various ways and then he left. The bhikkhunīs returning from the meal saw him from the distance when they entered the gate, and they all doubted whether he did the impure act with Thullanandā. They asked: “Have you broken celibacy?” She answered: “I haven’t broken celibacy, I and a man just touched each other’s bodies.” The small sāmaṇerī also said: “It was like this.” The bhikkhunīs criticized her in all kinds of ways: “The Buddha has disparaged in all kinds of ways the touching of each other’s bodies with a man, and he has praised in all kinds of ways not touching a man’s body. Why did you now do this bad thing?” Having criticized her, they went to the Buddha and told him of this matter. The Buddha gathered both sanghas because of this matter and asked Thullanandā: “Did you really do this?” She answered: “I really did this, World-honored One.” When the Buddha had criticized her in all kinds of ways as above, he told the bhikkhus: “For 10 benefits, I now lay down a precept for the bhikkhunīs. From now on, this precept should be recited thus:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī in a mindstate altered by abundant desire, lets a man rub and touch her in all kinds of ways below the hairline, above the knees, and above the elbows, that bhikkhunī incurs a pārājika, and doesn’t live in community.’”

Explanations

“A bhikkhunī” means someone who has received the full ordination in a formal act with a motion as fourth.

The explanation from “a mindstate altered by abundant desire” onwards is as explained in the precept of “a bhikkhu touching a woman’s body”.