Suspension 14

Origin Story

At that time, Xiuxiumo bhikkhunī and Popo bhikkhunī engaged in unwholesome conduct together, had a bad reputation, covered up each other’s offenses, and irritated the sangha. The bhikkhunīs said: “You engage in unwholesome conduct and have a bad reputation. Live apart from each other, and give up this matter of practising the unwholesome and irritating the sangha. You’ll grow in the Buddha’s dhamma and live comfortably.” The two bhikkhunīs said: “We don’t engage in unwholesome conduct, there’s no bad reputation, and we also don’t irritate the sangha. There are two other bhikkhunīs here who engage in unwholesome conduct together, have a bad reputation, and irritate the sangha.” The bhikkhunīs said: “Don’t say this! Why? There are no other two bhikkhunīs here who practise the unwholesome and irritate the sangha, only you. Please live apart from each other, and give up this matter of practising the unwholesome and irritating the sangha. You’ll grow in the Buddha’s dhamma and live comfortably.” When they were admonished like this, they held firmly on to it and didn’t give it up.

The bhikkhunīs told the Buddha of this matter. The Buddha gathered both sanghas because of this matter and asked these two 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: “They should have one bhikkhunī, who is friends with these two bhikkhunīs, go to a secluded place and admonish them. If they accept it, it’s fine. If they don’t accept it, a group of bhikkhunīs should go and admonish them. If they accept it, it’s fine. If they don’t accept it, the bhikkhunī sangha should go and admonish them.” The bhikkhus received the instruction and then told the bhikkhunīs to go and admonish them. They went three times, but each time they didn’t accept it. The senior bhikkhunīs criticized them in all kinds of ways, and told the Buddha of this matter. The Buddha gathered both sanghas because of this matter and when he had criticized these two bhikkhunīs 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 two bhikkhunīs engage in unwholesome conduct together, have a bad reputation, cover up each other’s offenses, and irritate the sangha, the bhikkhunīs should say: “You two bhikkhunīs engage in unwholesome conduct, have a bad reputation, cover up each other’s offenses, and irritate the sangha. Live apart from each other, and give up this matter of practising the unwholesome and irritating the sangha. You’ll grow in the Buddha’s dhamma and live comfortably.” If these two bhikkhunīs say: “We don’t engage in unwholesome conduct, there’s no bad reputation, we don’t cover up each other’s offenses, and don’t irritate the sangha. There are two other bhikkhunīs here who engage in unwholesome conduct together, and irritate the sangha,” the bhikkhunīs should say again: “Don’t say this. Why? There are no other two bhikkhunīs here who practise the unwholesome and irritate the sangha, only you. Please live apart from each other, and give up this matter of practising the unwholesome and irritating the sangha. You’ll grow in the Buddha’s dhamma and live comfortably.” If they, when admonished like this, hold firmly on to it and don’t give it up, they should admonish them a second and a third time. If they give up this matter at the second or third admonishment, it’s fine. If not, those bhikkhunīs commit a saṅghādisesa after three admonishments, from which one can repent.’”

Explanations

“Covering up each other’s offenses” means saṅghādisesas, thullaccayas, pācittiyas, pātidesanīyas, dukkaṭas, or unguarded speech.

“Irritating the sangha” means at the uposatha, the invitation ceremony, or formal acts, all as explained in “Devadatta splits the sangha”.

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