Confession 73

Mūlasarvāstivāda bhikkhunī vinaya, fascicle 17.

Respectfully translated by the Tipiṭaka master Yìjìng.

The 73rd training precept: Eating garlic.

Origin Story

The Buddha was in Sāvatthī. Then there was a householder who planted garlic as a profession. In his garden grew many good vegetables. Then there was a famine in the world and (food) was hard to obtain on almsround. The householder always saw the bhikkhunīs going on almsround and returning with empty bowls. The householder said: “Noble ones, I’ve planted garlic in my garden, and many other vegetables are growing there. You may take them as you like.” The bhikkhunīs often went to his garden and took many good vegetables. Then Thullanandā bhikkhunī also went to take vegetables, and she also took his garlic. The other bhikkhunīs saw it and asked: “Did you take garlic?” The bhikkhunī replied: “Vegetables are also garlic, and garlic is also a vegetable.” When the householder saw it, he felt indignant, severely beat her, snatched the vegetables and the garlic, and drove her out from his garden. He criticized her in all kinds of ways: “How can a bhikkhunī eat garlic?”

The bhikkhunīs told the bhikkhus about the reason, and the bhikkhus told the Buddha. The Buddha gathered the bhikkhunī sangha because of this matter. The Buddha knew and saw. He asked knowingly, not unknowingly, he asked at the right time, not at the wrong time, he asked when it was beneficial, not when it was unbeneficial. Breaching the dam, I’m told that this is a common metaphor in the Mahāyāna sūtras: People have strong ignorance, likened to a dam that prevents Dharma streams from flowing into their minds. The Buddha breaks down the barriers and eradicates their confusion.* to remove doubt, he asked Thullanandā bhikkhunī: “Did you really do this unbecoming act and eat garlic?” She answered: “I really did, Venerable.” The World-honored One then criticized her in all kinds of ways: “This is against the rules of renunciates, against the pure dhamma, an unbecoming act.” He told the bhikkhunīs: “I see 10 benefits, to be explained in detail as elsewhere. For my bhikkhunī disciples, I’ll lay down another training precept in the vinaya. It should be recited like this:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī eats garlic, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanations

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

“Eating garlic” means swallowing.

“A pācittiya” means burning and falling. It’s said that one who commits the offense falls into the bad paths: hell, the animal realm, and the hungry ghost realm, and feels burning suffering. Again, if one commits this offense and doesn’t earnestly disclose it, it can obstruct all wholesome states. Because of these meanings, it’s called a pācittiya.

Herein, what are the factors for committing this offense? If bhikkhunīs eat garlic, they all incur a pācittiya offense.

First Past Life Story

Then all the bhikkhus had doubts, and they asked the World-honored One: “Venerable, please explain the previous causes why Thullanandā bhikkhunī, out of craving, was beaten and driven out from the garden.” The Buddha told the bhikkhus: “Not just now did Thullā bhikkhunī encounter unbeneficial situations out of craving. In the past, she also encountered misfortune and suffering, even death. Listen carefully, I’ll speak: Formerly, there was a criminal who broke through a wall by making a hole and entered the king’s home. She stole much gold and silver, and many exquisite jewels, carried them off, and left. Then she forgot a ladle next to the hole. She returned, wanting to take it, was captured by the guards, and sent to the king. He ordered the judges to cut off her hands and feet. Then the gods spoke this verse:

‘One shouldn’t crave much,

Craving is a blameworthy evil thing;

If one craves much,

What was obtained will all be lost;

As she sought the lost ladle,

One will then meet with difficulties.’

What do you think, bhikkhus? Could the thief in the past have been a different person? It’s now Thullā bhikkhunī. Through her craving, she obtained unbeneficial suffering, and now, it’s the same. Furthermore, bhikkhus, this bhikkhunī, because of harboring craving, many times met with the unbeneficial, and lost what she had obtained.

Second Past Life Story

Listen carefully, I’ll speak more: In the distant past, there was a goldsmith and jeweller in Vārāṇasī. Not long after he got married, a daughter was born to him. She was good-looking, had an exquisite complexion, and was profoundly pleasing. When the daughter had grown up, her father passed away, was reborn as a goose, and made to be king of geese. The daughter suffered in poverty and extreme hardship. The father, as the king of geese, remembered the situation in his previous life and had the intention to investigate if he could be of help to his daughter. Then he saw that she was poor and experiencing suffering. Because of love for his daughter, he flew to the island of jewels, took a jewel into his mouth, and placed it unter his daughter’s door in the morning. The daughter picked up the jewel and hid it in an elevated storage place. The goose king brought her another one each morning in the same way, and the daughter always picked it up and stored it. She didn’t spend and use it. In this way, the daughter accumulated many jewels, and thought: ‘Who gives me jewels?’

Then, in the last watch of the night, she leaned on the door to investigate, saw the goose coming, and thought: ‘In this goose’s body are hidden jewels. Each time it comes to the entrance, it loses one and leaves. By what means can I capture it and take all the jewels?’ Because she wanted the goose, she secretly set up a bird trap. The goose king saw the net, and thought: ‘This blameworthy evil thing doesn’t know compassion and wants to harm me.’ Then he flew away and never returned. The gods spoke this verse:

‘One shouldn’t crave much,

Craving is a blameworthy evil thing;

If one craves much,

What was obtained will all be lost;

Now, because of capturing the goose,

your jewels are cut off.’

What do you think, bhikkhus? Could the woman in the past have been a different person? It’s now Thullanandā bhikkhunī. Through her craving, she lost the jewels, and now, through her craving, she was beaten by him, driven out from the garden, and cut off from what she hoped for. For this reason, the bhikkhunīs shouldn’t crave much.”