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Bu Pc 663 min read

66. Traveling with thieves

Theyyasattha

A monk who travels by arrangement with thieves must confess the offense.

Translated by Bhikkhu Brahmali · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Theravāda VinayaTheravāda Collection on Monastic Law
  • 0.2MahāvibhaṅgaThe Great Analysis
  • 0.3PācittiyakaṇḍaThe chapter on offenses entailing confession
  • 0.4SappāṇakavaggaThe subchapter on containing living beings

0.566. TheyyasatthasikkhāpadaTraveling with thieves

1.0Origin story

1.1PTS 4.131Tena 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 aññataro sattho rājagahā paṭiyālokaṁ gantukāmo hoti.a certain group of travelers was about to go south from Rājagaha.1.3Aññataro bhikkhu te manusse etadavoca—A monk said to those people,1.4“ahampāyasmantehi saddhiṁ gamissāmī”ti.“Let me travel with you.”

1.5“Mayaṁ kho, bhante, suṅkaṁ pariharissāmā”ti.“But we’re smuggling goods.”

1.6“Pajānāthāvuso”ti.“That’s your business.”1

1.7Assosuṁ kho kammiyā—The customs officers heard1.8“sattho kira suṅkaṁ pariharissatī”ti.about that group of travelers.1.9Te magge pariyuṭṭhiṁsu.They then blocked the road,1.10Atha kho te kammiyā taṁ satthaṁ gahetvā acchinditvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavocuṁ—caught the group, confiscated the goods, and asked that monk,1.11“kissa tvaṁ, bhante, jānaṁ theyyasatthena saddhiṁ gacchasī”ti?“Venerable, why are you knowingly traveling with a group of thieves?”1.12Palibundhetvā muñciṁsu.And they detained him.

1.13Atha kho so bhikkhu sāvatthiṁ gantvā bhikkhūnaṁ etamatthaṁ ārocesi.After being released, that monk went to Sāvatthī, where he told the monks what had happened.1.14Ye te bhikkhū appicchā …pe… te ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—The monks of few desires complained and criticized him,1.15“kathañhi nāma bhikkhu jānaṁ theyyasatthena saddhiṁ saṁvidhāya ekaddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjissatī”ti …pe…“How could a monk knowingly travel by arrangement with a group of thieves?” …1.16“saccaṁ kira tvaṁ, bhikkhu, jānaṁ theyyasatthena saddhiṁ saṁvidhāya ekaddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjasī”ti?“Is it true, monk, that you did this?”

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

1.18Vigarahi buddho bhagavā …pe…The Buddha rebuked him …1.19kathañhi nāma tvaṁ, moghapurisa, jānaṁ theyyasatthena saddhiṁ saṁvidhāya ekaddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjissasi.“Foolish man, how could you do this?1.20Netaṁ, moghapurisa, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya …pe…This will affect people’s confidence …” …1.21evañca pana, bhikkhave, imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddiseyyātha—“And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:

1.22.0Final ruling

1.22.1“Yo pana bhikkhu jānaṁ theyyasatthena saddhiṁ saṁvidhāya ekaddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjeyya, antamaso gāmantarampi, pācittiyan”ti.‘If a monk knowingly travels by arrangement with a group of thieves, even just to the next inhabited area, he commits an offense entailing confession.’”

2.1.0Definitions

2.1.1Yo panātiA:
2.1.2yo yādiso …pe…whoever …
2.1.3bhikkhūtiMonk:
2.1.4…pe… ayaṁ imasmiṁ atthe adhippeto bhikkhūti.… The monk who has been given the full ordination by a unanimous Sangha through a legal procedure consisting of one motion and three announcements that is irreversible and fit to stand—this sort of monk is meant in this case.
2.1.5Jānāti nāmaKnowingly:
2.1.6sāmaṁ vā jānāti, aññe vā tassa ārocenti, so vā āroceti.he knows by himself or others have told him or the group of travelers has told him.2
2.1.7Theyyasattho nāmaA group of thieves:
2.1.8corā katakammā vā honti akatakammā vā, rājānaṁ vā theyyaṁ gacchanti suṅkaṁ vā pariharanti.thieves who have done their deed or thieves who have not. They are stealing from the king or smuggling.
2.1.9SaddhintiWith:
2.1.10ekato.together.
2.1.11Saṁvidhāyāti—By arrangement:
2.1.12“gacchāmāvuso, gacchāma, bhante; gacchāma, bhante, gacchāmāvuso, ajja vā hiyyo vā pare vā gacchāmā”ti saṁvidahati, āpatti dukkaṭassa.if he makes an arrangement like this: the monk says, “Let’s go,” and they reply, “Yes, let’s go, venerable;” or they say, “Let’s go, venerable,” and the monk replies, “Yes, let’s go;” or the monk says, “Let’s go today,” “Let’s go tomorrow,” or “Let’s go the day after tomorrow,” then he commits an offense of wrong conduct.
2.1.13Antamaso gāmantarampītiEven just to the next inhabited area:
2.1.14kukkuṭasampāte gāme gāmantare gāmantare āpatti pācittiyassa.when the inhabited areas are a chicken’s flight apart, then for every next inhabited area he commits an offense entailing confession.2.1.15Agāmake araññe addhayojane addhayojane āpatti pācittiyassa.When it is an uninhabited area, a wilderness, then for every six kilometers he commits an offense entailing confession.3

2.2.0Permutations

2.2.1PTS 4.132Theyyasatthe theyyasatthasaññī saṁvidhāya ekaddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjati, antamaso gāmantarampi, āpatti pācittiyassa.If it is a group of traveling thieves, and he perceives it as such, and he travels by arrangement with them, even just to the next inhabited area, he commits an offense entailing confession.2.2.2Theyyasatthe vematiko saṁvidhāya ekaddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjati, antamaso gāmantarampi, āpatti dukkaṭassa.If it is a group of traveling thieves, but he is unsure of it, and he travels by arrangement with them, even just to the next inhabited area, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.2.2.3Theyyasatthe atheyyasatthasaññī saṁvidhāya ekaddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjati, antamaso gāmantarampi, anāpatti.If it is a group of traveling thieves, but he does not perceive it as such, and he travels by arrangement with them, even just to the next inhabited area, there is no offense.

2.2.4Bhikkhu saṁvidahati, manussā na saṁvidahanti, āpatti dukkaṭassa.If the monk makes an arrangement, but the group does not express its agreement, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.2.2.5Atheyyasatthe theyyasatthasaññī, āpatti dukkaṭassa.If it is not a group of traveling thieves, but he perceives it as such, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.2.2.6Atheyyasatthe vematiko, āpatti dukkaṭassa.If it is not a group of traveling thieves, but he is unsure of it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.2.2.7Atheyyasatthe atheyyasatthasaññī anāpatti.If it is not a group of traveling thieves, and he does not perceive it as such, there is no offense.

2.3.0Non-offenses

2.3.1Anāpatti—There is no offense:2.3.2asaṁvidahitvā gacchati,if he goes, but not by arrangement; 2.3.3manussā saṁvidahanti bhikkhu na saṁvidahati,if the group has made an arrangement, but he has not expressed his agreement; 2.3.4visaṅketena gacchati,if he goes, but not according to the arrangement; 2.3.5āpadāsu,if there is an emergency; 2.3.6ummattakassa,if he is insane; 2.3.7ādikammikassāti.if he is the first offender.

2.3.8Theyyasatthasikkhāpadaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ chaṭṭhaṁ.The training rule on traveling with thieves, the sixth, is finished.

Translator’s notes

  1. Pajānāth’āvuso, literally, “You know, friends.” According to the commentary to DN-a 2.436: Tvaṁ pajānāhīti tvaṁ jāna. Sace gaṇhitukāmosi, gaṇhāhīti vuttaṁ hoti, “Tvaṁ pajānāhi: you know. If you wish to take it, please do: this is what is meant.” In other words, do as you please.

    ↩ pli-tv-bu-vb-pc66:1.6

  2. The meaning of the last of these three ways of knowing, so vā āroceti, is not clear. CPD suggests: “sa (sā) āroceti (?). Perhaps this last form is conformable to sa. ārocayate med. caus. in the meaning: he or she makes inquiries (of others).” However, this does not fit with the parallel usage at Bu Pc 29:3.1.6 where the text says that she tells (sā vā āroceti) him, presumably referring to the nun telling the monk. In this case āroceti cannot refer to the monk making inquiries. The commentaries are silent, and I therefore assume that a straightforward meaning is the most likely one. I would suggest, then, that it refers to the group of travelers (i.e. the thieves or one of them) telling the monk directly.

    ↩ pli-tv-bu-vb-pc66:2.1.6

  3. For a discussion of the yojana, see sugata in Appendix of Technical Terms.

    ↩ pli-tv-bu-vb-pc66:2.1.15