Confession 92

The 92nd training precept: Not investigating and reproving others.

Origin Story

Location as before. The bhikkhunīs lived in harmony, and faithful householders and brahmins all offered respect and veneration, supported them with robes, food, bedding, and gave funds for medicines. They said: “Noble ones, accept this medicine fund. If you have an illness, use it as you like to support your body.” When the group-of-twelve bhikkhunīs saw this matter, a feeling of envy arose and they thought: “Why don’t we receive worldly people’s respect and support with robes, food, bedding and medicinal funds to supply us and to eat?” When they had thought this, they said to each other: “We’ll make a plan to arouse twice as much pure faith in the householders and brahmins towards us, and make them respect, support, venerate and offer to us.” Having said this, they reproved bhikkhunīs without having seen, heard, or suspected anything, about seen, heard, or suspected (offenses): “Bhikkhunī So-and-so has this fault, bhikkhunī So-and-so has committed this offense. During the uposatha and the invitation ceremony, they’re not allowed into the assembly.” The bhikkhunīs who were reproved for unfounded offenses kept criticizing them. The bhikkhunīs told the bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus told the Buddha. The Buddha asked and criticized them, as explained in detail, down to: “I’ll lay down another training precept. You should recite it like this:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī doesn’t thoroughly investigate a matter, and reproves others, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanations

“A bhikkhunī” is as before.

“Not thoroughly investigating” means not examining.

“Reproving others” means strongly reproving about an unfounded matter.

As explained above, they all incur a pācittiya offense.