Sarvāstivāda Vinaya
Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga
Confession 158
Origin Story
The Buddha was in the Sakyan country. Among the bhikkhunīs was one called Jaṭilā who was a dhamma teacher and able to speak on dhamma. She saw a young bhikkhu, without deep wisdom, and then asked him about a difficult matter of abhidhamma. This bhikkhu couldn’t answer according to the question. The bhikkhunī left, and arrogantly told the other bhikkhunīs: “I just asked a bhikkhu about a matter of abhidhamma, and he couldn’t answer me accordingly.”
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 her with all kinds of reasons: “How can you be called a bhikkhunī when you, when a bhikkhu hasn’t allowed to ask him about sutta, vinaya, or abhidhamma matters, just ask?” Having criticized her 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 Jaṭilā bhikkhunī: “Did you really do this?” She answered: “I really did this, World-honored One.” The Buddha criticized her with all kinds of reasons: “How can you be called a bhikkhunī when you, when a bhikkhu hasn’t allowed to ask him about sutta, vinaya, or abhidhamma matters, just ask?” Having criticized her 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, when a bhikkhu hasn’t allowed to ask him about sutta, vinaya, or abhidhamma matters, just asks, 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, when a bhikkhu hasn’t allowed to ask him about a difficult matter in the suttas, the vinaya, or the abhidhamma, asks in verses, each verse is a pācittiya. If she asks in chapters, each chapter is a pācittiya. If she asks in another form, each sentence is a pācittiya. (End of rule 158.)