Suspension 8

Sarvāstivāda Vinaya, fascicle 43 (Part two of the seventh recitation chapter.)

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

Part two of the Bhikkhunī Vinaya — (The remainder of the 10 unshared precepts among the 17 saṅghādisesas.)

Origin Story

The Buddha was in Sāvatthī. At that time, king Pasenadi had 1.000 generals, half of whom were of khattiya clans, and half of brahmin clans. One part was called Īsāna(?) and the other Dattamāna(?). A small country rebeled against king Pasenadi, and he instructed the 1.000 generals to go and attack them. Then they went, attacked, and defeated them. They returned and told the king: “We’ve obtained a victory. May the king always be victorious.” When the king heard it, his mind was overjoyed: “What do you wish for? I’ll grant it to you.” A general said: “My wife is doing wrong. She doesn’t submit to my will. Allow me to give her deadly drinks for six days, and to split her body with an ox-tongue-knife on the seventh day.” The king said: “I grant you this wish.” At that time, the wife of a khattiya general didn’t submit to her husband’s will, and he wanted to give her deadly drinks for six days, and to split her body with an ox-tongue-knife on the seventh day. This wife had many powerful relatives who came and restrained him, and didn’t allow to give her deadly drinks. According to the generals’ rules, if one person had a problem, the others all helped out. A group of khattiyas gathered and they gave her the deadly drinks by force. They waited for the seventh day to split her body into two parts with an ox-tongue-knife. Then there was a bhikkhunī called Senā(?), who was the daughter of the householder Māna(?), and always went in and out of this house.

She got up early, put on her robes, and entered that house. She saw khattiya women bathed and adorned, wearing beautiful clothes and ornaments, but this woman alone wore dirty clothes, hadn’t adorned her body, and sat there distressed. The bhikkhunī asked her: “The other women are all adorned and wear beautiful clothes. Why do you alone wear dirty clothes, with no adornments, and sit here distressed?” She answered: “Haven’t you heard?” She asked: “What?” She answered: “I don’t submit to my husband’s will. Now I receive deadly drinks for six days, and on the seventh day, he’ll split my body into two parts with an ox-tongue-knife. Can you take me away? If I go, who’d notice?” She answered: “I can.” The bhikkhunī then hid this woman under her robes, took her to the bhikkhunī monastery, and gave her the going forth. On a later day, the group of khattiyas gathered and wanted to kill her with an ox-tongue-knive. The group said: “Summon this woman!” Then they entered the house and searched, but didn’t see her. Having searched but not found her, the group of khattiyas said: “Who always went in and out of this house?” (The husband) answered: “There’s Senā bhikkhunī, who often went in and out of my house. Maybe she was able to take her away.” The group of khattiyas then went and surrounded the bhikkhunī monastery in the king’s park. The khattiya woman hadn’t long gone forth, and the bhikkhunīs wanted to restrain the group of khattiyas.

Among the group were young khattiyas who didn’t understand merit and demerit, and said: “All the bhikkhunīs should be split into two parts with an ox-tongue-knive.” Among them were also senior khattiyas who said: “Bhikkhunīs are protected by the king. It’s not appropriate and not reasonable for us to do an unwholesome thing that might be forbidden. Wait a little while, we’ll first inform the king. Whatever the king instructs us to do, we’ll do.” The bhikkhunīs then went to queen Mallikā and explained this matter in detail, and the queen spoke with the king. The king sat in the palace, already knowing the circumstances, and the khattiyas went to him, paid respect, and said: “May the great king always be victorious.” The king said: “I’ve previously granted you your wish. Now you should grant me my wish.” The group of khattiyas said: “We’ll grant it according to the great king’s wish.” The king said: “This khattiya woman has now already gone forth, it’s as if she was reborn. She’s not a khattiya woman anymore.” The group of khattiyas said: “We now follow the king’s wish and will let her go.” The king then sent a messenger to tell the bhikkhunīs: “Good women, this matter was inacceptable. You knew that this was a criminal woman who should die. You knew that the king didn’t allow it, that the khattiyas didn’t allow it, and that such a woman shouldn’t be given the going forth. If the khattiyas split you into two parts, what can I do? When the Buddha hears about this matter, he must lay down a precept for you: If a bhikkhunī knows that a criminal woman has been sentenced to death, that the general population knows, and that the king and the khattiyas haven’t allowed it, she may not ordain her and take her as a student.”

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 Senā 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 know that a criminal woman has been sentenced to death, and ordain her and take her as your student?” 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 knows that a criminal woman has been sentenced to death, that the general population knows, and that the king and the khattiyas haven’t allowed it, and she ordains her and takes her as a student, that act is an immediate saṅghādisesa, from which one can repent.’”

Explanations

“Knowing” means she either knows herself, or hears it from others, or the criminal woman tells her herself.

“A criminal” means there are two kinds: 1) someone who steals material possessions, 2) someone who abducts people.

“Death” means having committed a crime for which one should die.

“The general population knows” means that many people know or have seen or heard about it.

“Not allowed” means the king hasn’t allowed her to live.

“The khattiyas haven’t allowed it” means that both parts haven’t allowed her to live. It’s not clear what “both parts” refers to. It might be both parts of the army, as per the origin story. In Mahāsaṅghika saṅghādisesa 8, it’s her own and her husband’s families.*

“A saṅghādisesa” means this offense is dependent upon the sangha, and in the sangha there’s a remainder. Because she confesses and clears it in front of the sangha, therefore it’s called a saṅghādisesa.

Herein, this is an offense: If the preceptor knows, the teacher knows, and the bhikkhunī sangha knows, the preceptor commits a saṅghādisesa, the teacher commits a thullaccaya, and the sangha commits a dukkaṭa. If the preceptor knows, the teacher knows, but the sangha doesn’t know, the preceptor commits a saṅghādisesa, the teacher commits a thullaccaya, and the sangha doesn’t commit an offense. If the preceptor knows, but the teacher doesn’t know, and the sangha doesn’t know, the preceptor commits a saṅghādisesa, and the teacher and the sangha don’t commit an offense. If they all don’t know, the offense isn’t committed. (End of rule 8.)