Suspension 15

Origin Story

At that time, Xiuxiumo bhikkhunī and Popo bhikkhunī engaged in unwholesome conduct together, had a bad reputation, … “You’ll grow in the Buddha’s dhamma and live comfortably,” as explained above. The two bhikkhunīs said: “We don’t engage in unwholesome conduct, and we also don’t irritate the sangha. The sangha sees us as weak, and they speak like this because they look down on us.” The bhikkhunīs said again: “Don’t say this! Why? The sangha doesn’t see you as weak and looks down on you. You engage in unwholesome conduct and irritate the sangha. 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 senior bhikkhunīs criticized them … “I now lay down a precept for the bhikkhunīs, as explained above. 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, don’t 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 the 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. The sangha sees us as weak, and they speak like this because they look down on us,” the bhikkhunīs should say again: “Don’t say this! Why? The sangha doesn’t see you as weak and looks down on 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

The remainder is as explained above.

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