Relinquishment With Confession 30

The 30th training precept: Diverting offerings and goods intended for the sangha to oneself.

Origin Story

Location as before. Then the bhikkhunīs had entered the three months of the rains retreat. Thullanandā asked (for things) from the lay people as she liked. Then they donated offerings intended for the sangha, and when she had obtained them, she kept them all herself. When the lay people heard it, they were all upset: “How can a bhikkhunī ask for goods for the sangha and keep them exclusively to herself?” The bhikkhunīs 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 and goods intended for the sangha and diverts them to herself, it’s a nissaggiya pācittiya.’”

Explanations

“A bhikkhunī” means Thullanandā, or any other bhikkhunī.

“Obtaining offerings for the sangha” means obtaining two kinds of offerings for the bhikkhunī sangha: either robes or food.

“Diverting to herself” means receiving and using them herself.

The explanations of the rule factors are as before.