Confession 94

The 94th training precept: Making a dildo out of tree gum.

Origin Story

Location as before. Then Thullanandā bhikkhunī while on almsround went to a householder’s home and told the lady of the house: “May you be free from illness and have a long life.” Knowing that the husband wasn’t there, she asked: “Respected one, now that your husband isn’t here, how do you indulge yourself?” (The lady) was silent out of embarrassment and didn’t answer. The bhikkhunī then lowered her head and left. She went into the king’s palace and said to queen Sirimālā: “May you be free from illness and have a long life.” When they had greeted each other, she whispered to the queen: “When the king goes out and travels far away, how do you indulge yourself?” The queen said: “Noble one, you’ve gone forth. How can you discuss worldly affairs?” The bhikkhunī said: “You fine person are alone, young, and without a partner. It’s truly hard to pass the day. I’m genuinely worried.” The queen said: “Noble one, if the king isn’t here, I take tree gum and have a skilled worker make a dildo. I use that whenever I like.” When the bhikkhunī heard this, she went to the skilled worker’s wife and said: “You should make a dildo for me out of tree gum, similar to the one you made for queen Sirimālā.” The worker’s wife replied: “Noble one, what use do renunciates have for such items?” The bhikkhunī said: “I need it.” The wife said: “If that’s so, I’ll send one to you.” Then she told her husband: “Please make a dildo.” The husband said: “How is it possible that I’m not enough and you still want this?”

The wife said: “I’m asking you for a friend. I won’t use it myself.” The craftsman made it and gave it to his wife who handed it over to the bhikkhunī. Then Thullanandā, after her meal, entered the inner room and tied the dildo of tree gum to her heel. She inserted it into her body and felt pleasure. Because of this, she fell asleep. Then a fire suddenly broke out in the bhikkhunī monastery. People made a great clamor, and the bhikkhunī was startled and got up. She forgot to untie the dildo and came out of the room. When the crowd saw it, they laughed at her. Then a small child saw it and called out: “Noble one, what’s that on your foot?” When the bhikkhunī heard their words, she was extremely embarrassed. The bhikkhunīs told the bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus told the Buddha. The Buddha asked and criticized, as explained in detail, down to: “I’ll lay down another training precept. You should recite it like this:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī makes a dildo out of tree gum, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanations

“A bhikkhunī” is as before.

“Making a dildo out of tree gum” means making the form of a penis with tree gum or other materials.

The rest is as above.

If she uses it, she incurs a pācittiya. If she makes one but doesn’t use it, she incurs a dukkaṭa offense. All planning for the offense should be treated likewise.

First Past Life Story

Then all the bhikkhus had doubts, and they asked the World-honored One: “Venerable, please explain why Thullanandā bhikkhunī made the crowd laugh.” The Buddha told the bhikkhus: “Not just now did Thullā bhikkhunī make a great crowd laugh. In the past, it was also like this. Listen carefully, I’ll speak: In the distant past, there was a brahmin in a village. Not long after he got married, a son was born, endowed with with 18 evil marks. When he had grown up, he went to study in other regions, wanting to look for a profession. In a village, there was a great brahmin who was outstanding in the four vedas. His wife gave birth to a daughter and the father thought: ‘If there’s a brahmin learned in the four vedas, I’ll give him this girl as his wife.’ That brahmin youth, while wandering around, arrived at that village, came to the great brahmin’s house, and studied the four vedas with perfect understanding. The brahmin thought: ‘I previously made this resolution: If there’s a brahmin boy who understands the four vedas, I’ll give him my daughter as a wife. Now this youth is from a brahmin family and is also fully versed in the four vedas. I should give her to him as his wife.’ He then held the wedding. After much time had passed, the brahmin thought again: ‘My daughter’s husband’s appearance is repulsive. When he’s in the house, people all laugh at him.’ He also saw that his daughter was cheating on him, and told the daughter’s husband: ‘Please now take your wife and return to your original home.’

The husband thought: ‘My wife is cheating on me, and is always making fun of me with others. Let me now return and take her to my parents.’ Having thought this, he told his wife: ‘Respected one, please get dressed and prepared. Tomorrow morning, we’ll visit a fragrant park.’ The wife said: ‘Okay.’ The next morning at dawn, he made his wife mount a donkey, and wanted to return to his original home. The wife said: ‘Sir, where are you taking me now?’ The husband said: ‘I’ll take you to my parent’s home now.’ The wife thought: ‘Disaster has struck me. Here I did whatever I wanted and had sex with other men as I pleased. If I’m now taken to another house, the parents and relatives will protect and guard me. How could I then still be able to wander around freely?’ Then she quarreled with her husband and sorrowfully wept and wailed: ‘I absolutely won’t go.’ Enraged, the husband tied her up with a rope, laid her on the donkey, and with him driving the donkey they continued ahead. Desire arose in the husband’s mind and he wanted to have sex. To wash himself, he took a pitcher and poured water out. As the water came out, it made a sound. When the donkey heard it, it was startled and ran away. The husband chased after it but couldn’t reach it. The donkey entered a village, and the people all saw it and felt embarrassed. They asked the husband: ‘What happened?’ The husband then fully explained the matter: how the donkey had heard the sound from the water in the pitcher, had been startled, and ran away. When they heard it, they laughed loudly and spoke this verse:

‘Water pouring from a pitcher made a sound,

The donkey heard it, was startled and ran away.

This woman of little merit,

Despicable, makes people laugh.’

Bhikkhus, don’t be in doubt whether the wife of the despicable brahmin in former times might have been someone else. It’s now Thullanandā bhikkhunī. Bhikkhus, just as in the past, so too now a great crowd laughed loudly and noisily at Thullā bhikkhunī.

Second Past Life Story

Listen again, I’ll now continue: In the distant past, there was a brahmin in a village. Not long after he got married, at a later time, he wanted to go somewhere else. His wife had previously been cheating on him, and when she heard that her husband wanted to go away, she told an outsider: ‘My husband wants to go to another village. Sir, please come and spend the night with me.’ That man accordingly came to her house at night. The husband also came back and called his wife to open the door. She asked: ‘Who is it?’ When they recognized the husband’s voice, both of them became terrified. She hid the outsider in a grain bin filled with cow dung, and then opened the door. When the husband had entered the house, the wife took water and came to wash the husband’s feet. Suddenly, the house caught fire. The husband rushed to carry out the valuables. The wife said to the husband: ‘There are exquisite treasures in this grain bin. Please take this out first.’ They wanted to lift it up together. The grain bin then broke, and the outsider ran out. He hit his head on a pillar, and he left with blood streaming from a wound. Then a crowd of people spoke this verse:

‘This woman first had sex,

then hid a man in a grain bin.

Fire broke out and they carried it out.

His head was injured and people knew.’

Bhikkhus, what do you think? Could the brahmin’s wife in former times have been someone else? It’s now Thullanandā bhikkhunī.”