Relinquishment With Confession 19

Part 3, the 30 nissaggiya pācittiya rules for bhikkhunīs. (Of which 19 aren’t included, because they’re shared. The remaining ones are unshared and are included in full.)

Origin Story

The Buddha was in Rājagaha. At that time, the bhikkhunīs supporting Devadatta kept many bowls. They decayed and weren’t used.

Among the bhikkhunīs were those of few wishes, who knew moderation and practised the austerities. When they heard of this matter, their minds weren’t pleased, and they criticized them with all kinds of reasons: “How can you be called bhikkhunīs when you keep many bowls that decay and aren’t used?” Having criticized them with all kinds of reasons, they explained it to the Buddha in detail. The Buddha gathered both sanghas because of this matter. He knew, and intentionally asked the bhikkhunīs supporting Devadatta: “Did you really do this?” They answered: “We really did this, World-honored One.” The Buddha criticized them with all kinds of reasons: “How can you be called bhikkhunīs when you keep many bowls that decay and aren’t used?” Having criticized them with all kinds of reasons, he said to the bhikkhus: “For 10 benefits, I’ll lay down a precept for the bhikkhunīs. From now on, this precept should be recited thus:

Final Ruling

‘A bhikkhunī may keep a spare bowl up to one night. If she keeps it longer, it’s a nissaggiya pācittiya.’”

Explanations

“One night” means from sunset to before it’s light outside (again), in between is called “one night”.

“A bowl” means that there are three kinds: A large, a middle-sized, and a small one. “A large bowl” means it can receive three other bowls of rice, one other bowl of curry, and of other edible items, half of the amount of the curry. This is called a large bowl. “A small bowl” means it can receive one other bowl of rice, half of another bowl of curry, and of other edible items, half of the amount of the curry. This is called a small bowl. What is in between the large and the small bowl is called a middle-sized bowl. If it’s larger than the big one or smaller than the small one, it’s not called a bowl.

“A nissaggiya pācittiya” means that this bowl should be relinquished, and the pācittiya offense should be confessed.

Herein, this is an offense: If a bhikkhunī keeps a spare bowl for more than one night, it’s a nissaggiya pācittiya. (End of rule 19. The shared precepts were previously already explained and aren’t included, so why is this one shared precept with the bhikkhus included? Because here it’s just for one night, and there it’s for more than 10 days.)