Confession 79

Origin Story

The Buddha was in Sāvatthī. At that time, in front of the gate of the bhikkhunīs’ building in monastery of the king’s park, there was fresh, nice grass. Many different people gathered and sat down there. When they saw the physical features of the bhikkhunīs coming and going, they made fun of them: “Look, this bhikkhunī squints, that one has sore eyes, this one has a short nose, that one has a goiter, this one is white, that one is black, this one is good-looking, that one is ugly.” When the bhikkhunīs heard these words, their minds weren’t pleased, and they thought: “These people gather here, just because the fresh grass is lush and nice. If there was no grass, they wouldn’t stay here.” The bhikkhunīs gathered excrement and urine, and threw it on the grass. Then the grass stank, rotted, dried up, and died. The householders criticized them: “The bhikkhunīs are inauspicious, inferior women. Don’t they have another secluded toilet? On this place with clean, lush grass, they’ve put excrement and urine.”

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 explained it to the Buddha in detail. The Buddha gathered both sanghas because of this matter. He knew, and intentionally asked those bhikkhunīs: “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 throw excrement and urine on fresh grass?” 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

‘If a bhikkhunī throws excrement and urine on fresh grass, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanations

“Pācittiya” means burn, cook, cover, obstruct. If she doesn’t confess the offense, it can obstruct the path.

Herein, this is an offense: If a bhikkhunī throws excrement and urine on fresh grass, it’s a pācittiya. Whenever she throws, she incurs a pācittiya. (End of rule 79.)