Suspension 5

Mūlasarvāstivāda bhikkhunī vinaya, fascicle 6.

Respectfully translated by the Tipiṭaka master Yìjìng.

The 5th training precept: Saying oneself that there’s no transgression.

Origin Story

Location as before. The World-honored One had laid down a precept that if a bhikkhunī has a defiled mind, and takes any item from a man without a defiled mind, she incurs a thullaccaya. Then Thullanandā bhikkhunī still went to take something, and the other bhikkhunīs asked her: “Where are you coming from?” She answered: “I went to look for an item.” The bhikkhunīs answered: “Hasn’t the World-honored One already laid down a training precept that if a bhikkhunī has a defiled mind, and takes any item from a man without a defiled mind, she incurs a thullaccaya?” Thullā bhikkhunī asked: “Are you without a defiled mind?” The bhikkhunīs said: “We are.” Thullā bhikkhunī answered: “Just as you don’t have a defiled mind and take items from a man with a defiled mind, why would there be a transgression for me?” The bhikkhunīs told the bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus told the Buddha. The Buddha gathered the bhikkhunī sangha for this reason, and asked Thullanandā: “Did you really say: ‘Just as you don’t have a defiled mind, and take items from a man with a defiled mind, why would there be a transgression for me?’” She answered: “I really did.” The World-honored One criticized her as before, down to: “I’ll lay down another training precept. You should recite it like this:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī says to another bhikkhunī: “Just as you don’t have a defiled mind, and accept items from a man with a defiled mind, why would there be a transgression for me?”, it’s a saṅghādisesa.’”

Explanations

“A bhikkhunī” means Thullanandā.

The explanations for the factors for committing this offense are as detailed above.