1.0Origin story

1.1PTS 4.54Tena samayena buddho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.At one time when the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery,1.2Tena kho pana samayena therā bhikkhū bhikkhuniyo ovadanti pariyāyena. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmato cūḷapanthakassa pariyāyo hoti bhikkhuniyo ovadituṁ.the senior monks were taking turns instructing the nuns. Then, on one occasion, it was Venerable Cūḷapanthaka’s turn.1.3Bhikkhuniyo evamāhaṁsu—“na dāni ajja ovādo iddho bhavissati, taññeva dāni udānaṁ ayyo cūḷapanthako punappunaṁ bhaṇissatī”ti.The nuns said, “Today the instruction won’t be effective. Venerable Cūḷapanthaka will just be repeating the same thing over and over.”

1.4Atha kho tā bhikkhuniyo yenāyasmā cūḷapanthako tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ cūḷapanthakaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu.Soon afterwards those nuns went to Cūḷapanthaka, bowed, and sat down.1.5Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho tā bhikkhuniyo āyasmā cūḷapanthako etadavoca—“samaggāttha, bhaginiyo”ti?Cūḷapanthaka then said to them, “Are you all here, sisters?”¹

1.6“Samaggāmhāyyā”ti.“We’re all here, venerable.”

1.7“Vattanti, bhaginiyo, aṭṭha garudhammā”ti?“Are you keeping the eight important principles?”

1.8“Vattantāyyā”ti.“We are.”

1.9“Eso, bhaginiyo, ovādo”ti niyyādetvā imaṁ udānaṁ punappunaṁ abhāsi—After saying, “This is the instruction,” he uttered the same heartfelt exclamation again and again:

1.14Bhikkhuniyo evamāhaṁsu—“nanu avocumhā—na dāni ajja ovādo iddho bhavissati, taññeva dāni udānaṁ ayyo cūḷapanthako punappunaṁ bhaṇissatī”ti.And the nuns said, “Didn’t we say that the instruction wouldn’t be effective, that Venerable Cūḷapanthaka would just be repeating the same thing over and over?”1.15Assosi kho āyasmā cūḷapanthako tāsaṁ bhikkhunīnaṁ imaṁ kathāsallāpaṁ.Cūḷapanthaka overheard that conversation between the nuns.1.16Atha kho āyasmā cūḷapanthako vehāsaṁ abbhuggantvā ākāse antalikkhe caṅkamatipi tiṭṭhatipi nisīdatipi seyyampi kappeti dhūmāyatipi pajjalatipi antaradhāyatipi, tañceva udānaṁ bhaṇati aññañca bahuṁ buddhavacanaṁ.He then rose up into the air, walked back and forth in space, and he stood, sat down, and lay down there. He emitted smoke and fire, and he disappeared, all the while uttering the same heartfelt exclamation and many other sayings by the Buddha.1.17Bhikkhuniyo evamāhaṁsu—The nuns said,1.18“acchariyaṁ vata bho, abbhutaṁ vata bho.“It’s astonishing and amazing!1.19Na vata no ito pubbe ovādo evaṁ iddho bhūtapubbo yathā ayyassa cūḷapanthakassā”ti.No previous instruction has been as effective as this one from Venerable Cūḷapanthaka!”1.20Atha kho āyasmā cūḷapanthako tā bhikkhuniyo yāva samandhakārā ovaditvā uyyojesi—“gacchatha, bhaginiyo”ti.And Cūḷapanthaka kept on instructing those nuns until the dark of night and then dismissed them, saying, “Go, sisters.”

1.21Atha kho tā bhikkhuniyo nagaradvāre thakite bahinagare vasitvā kālasseva nagaraṁ pavisanti.But because the gates to town were closed, those nuns spent the night outside and only entered early in the morning.1.22Manussā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—“abrahmacāriniyo imā bhikkhuniyo;People complained and criticized them, “These nuns aren’t celibate.1.23ārāme bhikkhūhi saddhiṁ vasitvā idāni nagaraṁ pavisantī”ti.They spend the night in the monastery with the monks and only now do they enter town.”

1.24PTS 4.55Assosuṁ kho bhikkhū tesaṁ manussānaṁ ujjhāyantānaṁ khiyyantānaṁ vipācentānaṁ.The monks heard the complaints of those people,1.25Ye te bhikkhū appicchā …pe… te ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—and the monks of few desires complained and criticized Cūḷapanthaka,1.26“kathañhi nāma āyasmā cūḷapanthako atthaṅgate sūriye bhikkhuniyo ovadissatī”ti …pe…“How could Venerable Cūḷapanthaka instruct the nuns after the sun has set?”…1.27“saccaṁ kira tvaṁ, cūḷapanthaka, atthaṅgate sūriye bhikkhuniyo ovadasī”ti?“Is it true, Cūḷapanthaka, that you did this?”

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

1.29Vigarahi buddho bhagavā …pe…The Buddha rebuked him …1.30kathañhi nāma tvaṁ, cūḷapanthaka, atthaṅgate sūriye bhikkhuniyo ovadissasi.“Cūḷapanthaka, how could you do this?1.31Netaṁ, cūḷapanthaka, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya …pe…This will affect people’s confidence …” …1.32evañca pana, bhikkhave, imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddiseyyātha—“And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this: