Confession 123

Sarvāstivāda Vinaya, fascicle 46 (Part five of the seventh recitation chapter.)

Translated by the northern Indian Tipiṭaka master Puṇyatāra together with Kumārajīva during the later Qin dynasty.

Part three of the 178 simple pācittiya rules.

Origin Story

The Buddha was in Rājagaha. At that time, the bhikkhunīs supporting Devadatta often went in and out of people’s houses. There was the lady of a house who said: “Give me the going forth.” The bhikkhunīs said: “Give us a bowl, and we’ll ordain you. Give us robes, a door hook, medicines at the proper time, nighttime medicines, seven-day medicines, and lifetime medicines, and we’ll give you the going forth.” The lady of the house said: “Do you ordain people as a profession?” The bhikkhunīs said: “Yes.” That day, virtuous bhikkhunīs came to the householder’s house. The lady of the house asked: “Do you really ordain people as a profession?” The virtuous bhikkhunīs said: “Who said that?” The lady of the house said: “I said to the bhikkhunīs supporting Devadatta: ‘Give me the going forth.’ Then they told me: ‘Bring us a bowl, and we’ll ordain you. Give us robes, a door hook, medicines at the proper time, nighttime medicines, seven-day medicines, and lifetime medicines, and we’ll ordain you.’”

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: “How can you be called bhikkhunīs when you say: ‘Give us a bowl, give us robes, a door hook, medicines at the proper time, nighttime medicines, seven-day medicines, and lifetime medicines, and we’ll ordain you’?” 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 say: ‘Give us a bowl and robes, a door hook, medicines at the proper time, nighttime medicines, seven-day medicines, and lifetime medicines, and we’ll ordain you’?” 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 says: “If you give me a bowl, a robe, a door hook, medicines at the proper time, nighttime medicines, seven-day medicines, or lifetime medicines, I’ll ordain you,” 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 says: “If you give me a bowl, a robe, a door hook, medicines at the proper time, nighttime medicines, seven-day medicines, or lifetime medicines, I’ll ordain you,” all are pācittiyas. Whenever she says it, she incurs a pācittiya. (End of rule 123.)