Confession 79

The 79th training precept: Defecating and urinating on fresh grass.

Origin Story

Location as before. Close to the bhikkhunī monastery there was an area with fresh grass. Brahmin and householder’s sons and youths all came there, engaged in undhammic conversations, fooled around, made a racket, and disturbed the bhikkhunīs. When Thullanandā had seen this, she gave laxatives to all her students, and collected the excrements in a large vessel. When she saw that it was completely filled up, she brought it outside the monastery and scattered it on the fresh grass. The brahmin and householder’s sons all came again as before, fooled around with each other, and rolled on the ground. They said to each other: “There’s truly a bad smell, and lots of excrements. Who did this? How do they not perish?” Thullanandā saw them from a distance and laughed loudly. People asked: “Noble one, why do you laugh? How come there’s this dirt on the fresh grass and the ground?” She answered: “Who except for me (would’ve done that)? You bad people have truly been taken care of.” When the men heard this, they were all displeased. Each returned to his home, and related the matter in detail to his parents, relatives, brothers, and sisters. They all blamed and shamed (the bhikkhunīs). The bhikkhunīs told the bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus told the Buddha. The Buddha asked and criticized, as explained in detail above, down to: “I’ll lay down another training precept. You should recite it like this:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī defecates, urinates, drops snot, or spits on fresh grass, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanations

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

“On fresh grass” means ground with green, living grass.

“Defecating and urinating” means the impurities.

“Pācittiya” is as before.

There’s no offense: If it’s because she’s sick.