Suspension 6

First Origin Stories

At that time, the bhikkhunīs wandered on a road alone. When the lay people saw them, they fooled around, spoke coarse, unwholesome words about sexual desire, some touched and groped them, and some wanted to engage in sexual intercourse.

There was also a group of bhikkhunīs who were wandering in company with merchants. Thullanandā saw a man and defiled attachment arose in her mind. She lagged behind and the bhikkhunīs asked her: “Why don’t you walk at the same speed as the group? This place is frightening, don’t be robbed by evil people.” She answered: “Do you see the person coming behind us?” The bhikkhunīs said: “We see him.” Thullanandā said: “When I saw this man, my mind was strongly attracted.” The bhikkhunīs criticized her: “When you wander on a road, why do you have defiled attachment to a man?”

There was also a group of bhikkhunīs who crossed a river and collected cow dung. When they had crossed, the water rose. They weren’t able to return and were robbed by criminals.

There were also bhikkhunīs who stayed overnight alone. They lost their robes and bowls, and broke celibacy. When the senior bhikkhunīs saw and heard it, they criticized them in all kinds of ways, and fully told the Buddha of this. The Buddha gathered both sanghas because of this matter and asked the bhikkhunīs: “Did you really do this?” They answered: “We really did this, World-honored One.” When the Buddha had criticized them in all kinds of ways, he told the bhikkhus: “I now lay down a precept for the bhikkhunīs. From now on, this precept should be recited thus:

Preliminary Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī wanders alone, stays overnight alone, crosses water alone, lags behind on a path alone with defiled attachment for a man, that bhikkhunī commits an immediate saṅghādisesa, from which one can repent.’”

Second Origin Stories

Then there were bhikkhunīs who were wandering on a road that was dubious and frightening. Then they quickly went to a village and reached their relatives’ house. There were also bhikkhunīs who were wandering on a road and became very exhausted, or were old and sick, and couldn’t keep up with the others.

Sometimes, there was just little water, and sometimes there was a bridge or a boat, and they didn’t dare to cross alone.

Sometimes in the place where they were staying overnight, there were frightening men, and they didn’t dare to stay alone overnight in another place.

The bhikkhunīs didn’t know what to do. They told the Buddha of this matter. The Buddha gathered both sanghas because of this matter and told the bhikkhus: “If there’s a reason, I allow them to go alone as they like. From now on, this precept should be recited thus:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī wanders alone, stays overnight alone, crosses water alone, lags behind on a path alone with defiled attachment for a man, unless there’s a reason, that bhikkhunī commits an immediate saṅghādisesa, from which one can repent. “A reason” means when one goes in fear, when one is old, sick, or very exhausted, and can’t keep up with the companions, when the water is narrow and shallow, at a place with a bridge or a boat, at a place with frightening men; these are called “a reason”.’” The pātimokkha only has three factors of this rule, and doesn’t include wandering alone.*

Explanations

If she wanders alone in a place where there’s no village for half a yojana, or in a place where there’s a village from one village to another village, both cases are a saṅghādisesa.

If she’s behind and can see the other bhikkhunī from a distance but can’t hear her, or if she can hear her but can’t see her, both cases are dukkaṭas.

If she can neither see nor hear her, it’s a saṅghādisesa.

If she crosses water alone, and the water is wider than the length of 10 forearms and deeper than halfway up to the thigh, it’s a saṅghādisesa. If it’s less, it’s a dukkaṭa.

If she stays overnight, she should reach out with her hand to the other. If she doesn’t reach out to the other during the first part and the middle part of the night, it’s a thullaccaya. At dawn, it’s a saṅghādisesa.

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