Confession 114

The 114th training precept: Not taking away.

Origin Story

Location as before. Then Thullanandā bhikkhunī gave the going forth to a woman who had a husband. After she had gone forth, she said to Thullā bhikkhunī: “Noble one, if my husband finds out that I’ve gone forth and comes here, he’ll certainly create an obstacle. May the noble one take me to another place.” Thullā bhikkhunī said: “Why do you need to go to another place now? You’ve given up the household life and have left worldly affairs behind. This is already another place.” At a later time, her husband came and saw her. He made her take off the monastic robes, put on lay clothes, and then took her back home. Bhikkhunīs on almsround entered her house. When she saw them, she paid respect, and the bhikkhunīs asked her: “Why did you return to lay life now? In the Buddha’s dhamma, you were continually growing in wholesome qualities, but now you’ve again been bound by the worldly fetters.” The woman answered: “I’m not independent, I belong to someone else. Back then, I repeatedly consulted the noble Thullā bhikkhunī, and requested that she take me to another place so as not to meet with this obstacle. But I didn’t receive her protection. So now it has come to this.” The bhikkhunīs returned to the monastery and told Thullā bhikkhunī: “Noble one, why did you not take that woman to another place? You’ve caused her to return to lay life, and created obstacles for her going forth.” Thullā bhikkhunī said: “Don’t I have other business, that I can take every person who has gone forth to another place?” 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 gives someone the going forth and doesn’t take her away with her, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanations

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

“Giving someone the going forth” is as explained above.

“Not taking her away with her” means not taking her to another place if there are obstacles.

The explanations of the rule factors etc. are as explained in detail before.