1.1.0.1Origin story

1.1.0.2First substory

1.1.1PTS 3.211Tena samayena buddho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery.1.1.2Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā upanando sakyaputto paṭṭo hoti dhammiṁ kathaṁ kātuṁ.At that time Venerable Upananda the Sakyan was skilled at teaching.1.1.3Atha kho aññataro seṭṭhiputto yenāyasmā upanando sakyaputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ upanandaṁ sakyaputtaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi.On one occasion the son of a wealthy merchant went to Upananda, bowed, and sat down.1.1.4Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho taṁ seṭṭhiputtaṁ āyasmā upanando sakyaputto dhammiyā kathāya sandassesi samādapesi samuttejesi sampahaṁsesi.And Upananda instructed, inspired, and gladdened him with a teaching.1.1.5Atha kho so seṭṭhiputto āyasmatā upanandena sakyaputtena dhammiyā kathāya sandassito samādapito samuttejito sampahaṁsito āyasmantaṁ upanandaṁ sakyaputtaṁ etadavoca—Afterwards that merchant’s son said to Upananda:

1.1.6“vadeyyātha, bhante, yena attho.“Venerable, please tell me what you need.1.1.7Paṭibalā mayaṁ ayyassa dātuṁ yadidaṁ cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhāran”ti.I can give you robe-cloth, almsfood, a dwelling, and medicinal supplies.”

1.1.8“Sace me tvaṁ, āvuso, dātukāmosi, ito ekaṁ sāṭakaṁ dehī”ti.“If you wish to give me something, give me one of your wrap garments.”

1.1.9“Amhākaṁ kho, bhante, kulaputtānaṁ kismiṁ viya ekasāṭakaṁ gantuṁ.“It’s shameful, venerable, for a gentleman to walk around in only one wrap.1.1.10Āgamehi, bhante, yāva gharaṁ gacchāmi.Please wait until I get back home.1.1.11Gharaṁ gato ito vā ekaṁ sāṭakaṁ pahiṇissāmi ito vā sundarataran”ti.I’ll send you this wrap or a better one.”

1.1.12Dutiyampi kho āyasmā upanando sakyaputto taṁ seṭṭhiputtaṁ etadavoca—A second time1.1.13“sace me tvaṁ, āvuso, dātukāmosi ito ekaṁ sāṭakaṁ dehī”ti.1.1.14Amhākaṁ kho bhante kulaputtānaṁ kismiṁ viya ekasāṭakaṁ gantuṁ, āgamehi, bhante yāva gharaṁ gacchāmi, gharaṁ gato ito vā ekaṁ sāṭakaṁ pahiṇissāmi ito vā sundarataranti.1.1.15Tatiyampi kho āyasmā upanando sakyaputto taṁ seṭṭhiputtaṁ etadavoca—and a third time Upananda said1.1.16“sace me tvaṁ, āvuso, dātukāmosi, ito ekaṁ sāṭakaṁ dehī”ti.the same thing to that merchant’s son,1.1.17Amhākaṁ kho, bhante, kulaputtānaṁ kismiṁ viya ekasāṭakaṁ gantuṁ, āgamehi, bhante yāva gharaṁ gacchāmi, gharaṁ gato ito vā ekaṁ sāṭakaṁ pahiṇissāmi ito vā sundarataranti.and he got the same reply.1.1.18“Kiṁ pana tayā, āvuso, adātukāmena pavāritena yaṁ tvaṁ pavāretvā na desī”ti.He then said, “What’s the point of inviting me if you don’t want to give?”

1.1.19Atha kho so seṭṭhiputto āyasmatā upanandena sakyaputtena nippīḷiyamāno ekaṁ sāṭakaṁ datvā agamāsi.Being pressured by Upananda, that merchant’s son gave him one of his wraps and left.1.2.1Manussā taṁ seṭṭhiputtaṁ etadavocuṁ—“kissa tvaṁ, ayyo, ekasāṭako āgacchasī”ti?People asked him why he was walking around in only one wrap,1.2.2Atha kho so seṭṭhiputto tesaṁ manussānaṁ etamatthaṁ ārocesi.and he told them what had happened.1.2.3Manussā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—People complained and criticized Upananda,1.2.4“mahicchā ime samaṇā sakyaputtiyā asantuṭṭhā.“These Sakyan monastics have great desires. They’re not content.1.2.5Nayimesaṁ sukarā dhammanimantanāpi kātuṁ.Even to make them an appropriate offer isn’t easy.1.2.6Kathañhi nāma seṭṭhiputtena dhammanimantanāya kayiramānāya sāṭakaṁ gahessantī”ti.How could they take his wrap when the merchant’s son was making an appropriate offer?”

1.2.7Assosuṁ kho bhikkhū tesaṁ manussānaṁ ujjhāyantānaṁ khiyyantānaṁ vipācentānaṁ.The monks heard the complaints of those people,1.2.8Ye te bhikkhū appicchā …pe… te ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—and the monks of few desires complained and criticized him too,1.2.9“kathañhi nāma āyasmā upanando sakyaputto seṭṭhiputtaṁ cīvaraṁ viññāpessatī”ti.“How could Venerable Upananda ask the merchant’s son for a robe?”

1.2.10Atha kho te bhikkhū āyasmantaṁ upanandaṁ sakyaputtaṁ anekapariyāyena vigarahitvā bhagavato etamatthaṁ ārocesuṁ …pe…After rebuking him in many ways, they told the Buddha. Soon afterwards he had the Sangha gathered and questioned Upananda:1.2.11“saccaṁ kira tvaṁ, upananda, seṭṭhiputtaṁ cīvaraṁ viññāpesī”ti?“Is it true, Upananda, that you did this?”

1.2.12“Saccaṁ, bhagavā”ti.“It’s true, sir.”

1.2.13“Ñātako te, upananda, aññātako”ti?“Is he a relative of yours?”

1.2.14“Aññātako, bhagavā”ti.“No.”

1.2.15“Aññātako, moghapurisa, aññātakassa na jānāti patirūpaṁ vā appatirūpaṁ vā santaṁ vā asantaṁ vā.“Foolish man, people who are unrelated don’t know what’s appropriate and inappropriate, what’s good and bad, in dealing with each other.1.2.16Tattha nāma tvaṁ, moghapurisa, aññātakaṁ seṭṭhiputtaṁ cīvaraṁ viññāpessasi.And still you did this.1.2.17Netaṁ, moghapurisa, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya …pe…This will affect people’s confidence …” …1.2.18evañca pana, bhikkhave, imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddiseyyātha—“And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:

1.2.19.0Preliminary ruling

1.2.19.1“Yo pana bhikkhu aññātakaṁ gahapatiṁ vā gahapatāniṁ vā cīvaraṁ viññāpeyya, nissaggiyaṁ pācittiyan”ti.‘If a monk asks an unrelated male or female householder for a robe, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession.’”

1.2.20Evañcidaṁ bhagavatā bhikkhūnaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ paññattaṁ hoti.In this way the Buddha laid down this training rule for the monks.

2.0Second substory

2.1PTS 3.212Tena kho pana samayena sambahulā bhikkhū sāketā sāvatthiṁ addhānamaggappaṭipannā honti. Antarāmagge corā nikkhamitvā te bhikkhū acchindiṁsu.Soon afterwards a number of monks who were traveling from Sāketa to Sāvatthī were robbed by bandits.2.2Atha kho te bhikkhū—“bhagavatā paṭikkhittaṁ aññātakaṁ gahapatiṁ vā gahapatāniṁ vā cīvaraṁ viññāpetun”ti, kukkuccāyantā na viññāpesuṁ.Knowing that the Buddha had laid down this training rule and being afraid of wrongdoing, they did not ask for robes.2.3Yathānaggāva sāvatthiṁ gantvā bhikkhū abhivādenti.As a consequence, they walked naked to Sāvatthī, where they bowed down to the monks.2.4Bhikkhū evamāhaṁsu—“sundarā kho ime, āvuso, ājīvakā ye ime bhikkhūsu abhivādentī”ti.The monks there said, “These Ājīvaka ascetics are good people, as they bow down to the monks.”

2.5Te evamāhaṁsu—“na mayaṁ, āvuso, ājīvakā, bhikkhū mayan”ti.“We’re not Ājīvakas! We’re monks!”

2.6Bhikkhū āyasmantaṁ upāliṁ etadavocuṁ—“iṅghāvuso upāli, ime anuyuñjāhī”ti.The monks asked Venerable Upāli to examine them.

2.7Atha kho āyasmatā upālinā anuyuñjiyamānā te bhikkhū etamatthaṁ ārocesuṁ. Atha kho āyasmā upāli te bhikkhū anuyuñjitvā bhikkhū etadavoca—“bhikkhū ime, āvuso. Detha nesaṁ cīvarānī”ti.When the naked monks told him what had happened, Upāli said to the monks, “They are monks. Please give them robes.”

2.8Ye te bhikkhū appicchā …pe… te ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—The monks of few desires complained and criticized them,2.9“kathañhi nāma bhikkhū naggā āgacchissanti.“How can monks go naked?2.10Nanu nāma tiṇena vā paṇṇena vā paṭicchādetvā āgantabban”ti.Shouldn’t they have covered up with grass and leaves?”

2.11Atha kho te bhikkhū te anekapariyāyena vigarahitvā bhagavato etamatthaṁ ārocesuṁ.After rebuking those monks in many ways, they told the Buddha.2.12Atha kho bhagavā etasmiṁ nidāne etasmiṁ pakaraṇe dhammiṁ kathaṁ katvā bhikkhū āmantesi—Soon afterwards he gave a teaching and addressed the monks:

2.13“anujānāmi, bhikkhave, acchinnacīvarassa vā naṭṭhacīvarassa vā aññātakaṁ gahapatiṁ vā gahapatāniṁ vā cīvaraṁ viññāpetuṁ.“Monks, if a monk’s robes are stolen or lost, I allow him to ask an unrelated householder for robes.2.14Yaṁ āvāsaṁ paṭhamaṁ upagacchati, sace tattha hoti saṅghassa vihāracīvaraṁ vā uttarattharaṇaṁ vā bhūmattharaṇaṁ vā bhisicchavi vā, taṁ gahetvā pārupituṁ ‘labhitvā odahissāmī’ti.At the first monastery where he arrives, if the Sangha has a communal robe, a bedspread, a floor cover, or a mattress cover, he should take that and put it on, thinking, ‘When I get a robe, I’ll return it.’¹2.15No ce hoti saṅghassa vihāracīvaraṁ vā uttarattharaṇaṁ vā bhūmattharaṇaṁ vā bhisicchavi vā tiṇena vā paṇṇena vā paṭicchādetvā āgantabbaṁ; na tveva naggena āgantabbaṁ.If there’s none of these things, he should cover up with grass and leaves before going on. He should not go on while naked.2.16Yo āgaccheyya, āpatti dukkaṭassa.If he does, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

2.17Evañca pana, bhikkhave, imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddiseyyātha—And so, monks, this training rule should be recited like this: