Expulsion 7

Origin Story

At that time, Chanda bhikkhu This bhikkhu is probably the same person as the Pāli tradition’s bhikkhu Channa, who in lay life had been the Buddha’s charioteer.* often committed offenses. From getting up to going to bed, everything wasn’t according to dhamma: he ate often, he ate in a separate group, and he entered the village at the wrong time without informing a good bhikkhu. The bhikkhu sangha carried out a formal act for not seeing offenses against him. His older sister, a bhikkhunī called Youcuo, came and went, talked with him, and she gave him robes and food. The bhikkhunīs saw it and said: “Sister, the bhikkhu sangha in harmony has carried out a formal act for not seeing offenses against this bhikkhu. The bhikkhus already don’t live with him, don’t conduct their matters with him, and don’t talk with him. Why do you now come and go, talk with him, and give him robes and food?” Youcuo said: “This is my younger brother. If I don’t look after him, who will?”

The senior bhikkhunīs criticized her in all kinds of ways, and told the Buddha of this matter. The Buddha gathered both sanghas because of this matter and asked Youcuo: “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, he told the bhikkhus: “They should have a bhikkhunī who is friends with Youcuo go to a secluded place and admonish her: ‘Don’t follow a bhikkhu against whom the sangha has made a formal act for not seeing offenses.’ If she accepts it, it’s fine. If she doesn’t accept it, a group of bhikkhunīs should go and admonish her. If she accepts it, it’s fine. If she again doesn’t accept it, the bhikkhunī sangha should also go and admonish her.” The bhikkhus received this instruction, and the bhikkhunīs had a bhikkhunī go and admonish her … the bhikkhunī sangha went and admonished her, but she didn’t accept anything. The senior bhikkhunīs told the Buddha of this matter. The Buddha gathered both sanghas because of this matter and when he had criticized Youcuo in all kinds of ways from afar, he told the bhikkhus: “I now lay down a precept for the bhikkhunīs. From now on, this precept should be recited thus:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī knows that the sangha has carried out a formal act for not seeing offenses according to dhamma against a bhikkhu, and that the bhikkhus don’t live with him, don’t conduct their matters with him, and don’t talk with him, but she follows him, the other bhikkhunīs should tell that bhikkhunī: “Sister, the bhikkhu sangha has carried out a formal act for not seeing offenses against this bhikkhu. The bhikkhus don’t live with him, don’t conduct their matters with him, and don’t talk with him. Don’t follow him.” If she, when admonished like this, holds firmly on to it and doesn’t give it up, they should admonish her a second and a third time. If she gives up this matter at the second or third admonishment, it’s fine. If not, that bhikkhunī incurs a pārājika, and doesn’t live in community.’”

Explanations

The remainder is all as explained in “Devadatta splits the sangha”. The non-offenses are also as explained there.