Relinquishment With Confession 28

The 28th training precept: Supplementing one’s food with offerings intended for the running of the monastery during the rains retreat.

Origin Story

Location as before. Then Thullanandā thought: “The monastery where we’re staying is now totally dilapidated. Who’ll repair it?” Then female brahmin householders came, paid respect at the bhikkhunī’s feet, and sat at one side. The bhikkhunī spoke on the essentials of the dhamma, and also took the women everywhere to show the damaged places. The women wanted to repair them, and each donated a part of the funds with a pure heart. When the bhikkhunī had obtained them, she (bought) food and edibles as before. At a later time, they came again, saw that the monastery was damaged and caving in, and asked: “Noble one, why haven’t you repaired it yet?” The bhikkhunī then replied: “Small rooms and huts are sufficient for the rains retreat. What’s the use of adorning them?” When they heard this, they were upset: “How can a bhikkhunī obtain offerings and goods for the sangha, direct them to herself, and use them for food?” When the bhikkhunīs heard this, they told the bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus told the Buddha. The Buddha gathered the bhikkhunīs for this reason as before, asked if it was true, and criticized her, as explained in detail, down to: “I’ll lay down another training precept. You should recite it like this:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī obtains offerings intended for the running of the monastery and uses them to supplement her food, it’s a nissaggiya pācittiya.’” In the pātimokkha, the rule says: If a bhikkhunī obtains offerings for the rains retreat and uses them to supplement her food, it’s a nissaggiya pācittiya. The rule here in the vibhaṅga doesn’t mention the rains retreat. But curiously the title does.*

Explanations

“A bhikkhunī” is as above.

“Offerings intended for the running of the monastery” means the donor’s original intention is to give offerings to the sangha of the disciples of the Tathāgata, as fully explained before.

The rest of the explanations is also the same.