Suspension 9

Origin Story

At that time, that merchant thought: “Earlier I tempted that bhikkhunī with food. But the time was too short, therefore there was no result. I’ll now entice her with food again. Maybe she’ll return my long-standing intentions.” Then he went to her place and said: “Previously, I vainly messed around and thereupon, I became impertinent. Please accept my apology. From now on, take food from me as before.” The bhikkhunī said: “Stop, stop! Man, you previously made trouble for me. Because of that, the Buddha severely scolded me and laid down a precept for the bhikkhunīs. Why should I now see this disgrace again?” Her bhikkhunī preceptor told her: “Previously, you could obtain many delicious foods and drinks. Why shouldn’t you obtain them again now?” She answered: “That person previously molested me. For this reason, the Buddha has laid down a precept. I don’t dare to take it again.” The preceptor said again: “Just don’t give rise to defiled attachment. Then what harm is there in taking food? If he gives rise to defiled attachment, how is that your problem?” This bhikkhunī criticized her preceptor: “The Buddha disparaged being close to men in all kinds of ways, and praised keeping away. Why do you instruct me to take food and drinks from a man who has defiled attachment in his mind?”

When the senior bhikkhunīs heard it, they criticized her teacher: “Why do you instruct your student to accept food from a man who has defiled attachment in his mind?” When they had criticized her in all kinds of ways, they told the Buddha of this matter. The Buddha gathered both sanghas because of this matter and asked Chandasumanā: “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: “I now lay down a precept for the bhikkhunīs. From now on, this precept should be recited thus:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī instructs another bhikkhunī: “Just don’t give rise to defiled attachment. Then what harm is there in accepting food and drinks from a man who has defiled attachment?”, that bhikkhunī commits an immediate saṅghādisesa, from which one can repent.’”

Explanations

If she gives such an instruction, each word is a saṅghādisesa.

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