Confession 75

The 75th training precept: Not exceeding the measure while washing.

Origin Story

Location as before. Then in Thullanandā bhikkhunī a lustful mind was blazing. When she was washing with water, she inserted a finger into her vagina to feel pleasurable impressions. When she was doing this, a boil gradually developed and she felt great pain. She said to her students: “Please seek for various strong-smelling things, sandalwood, herbal fragrances, etc. I’m sick.” Her disciples asked: “Noble one, what do you suffer from now?” Then she fully explained the matter. The bhikkhunīs said: “Noble one, is engaging in this thing compatible with a pure state?” She replied: “Pure or impure, I’ve already done it.”

The bhikkhunīs told the bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus told the Buddha. The Buddha asked and criticized: “These transgressions are all based on washing. Therefore one shouldn’t let bhikkhunīs wash.” When the World-honored One had laid this down, then at a later time, Thullanandā bhikkhunī taught the dhamma to a female householder, her body was smelling badly and (the lay woman) couldn’t endure it. She asked: “Where does this smell come from?” She also asked the bhikkhunī: “Could it be that because the World-honored One laid down the precept that bhikkhunīs aren’t allowed to wash, there’s the bad smell?” The bhikkhunī answered: “Yes.” The bhikkhunīs told the bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus told the Buddha. The Buddha said: “Based on this, I now lay down another training precept for the bhikkhunīs. You should recite it like this:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī washes herself, she should limit it to two finger joints. If she exceeds that, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanations

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

“She should limit it to two finger joints” means she may not exceed this measure.

If she exceeds two finger joints, she incurs a pācittiya offense each time.

The remainder is as explained before.