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2. Letting a nun give directions to donors

Dutiyapāṭidesanīya

A monk at an invitational meal who does not tell a nun to stop directing the distribution of food must acknowledge 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
  • 0.3PāṭidesanīyakaṇḍaThe chapter on offenses entailing acknowledgment

0.42. DutiyapāṭidesanīyasikkhāpadaLetting a nun give directions to donors

1.0Origin story

1.1Tena samayena buddho bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.At one time the Buddha was staying at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrel sanctuary.1.2Tena kho pana samayena bhikkhū kulesu nimantitā bhuñjanti.At that time, when families invited monks to meals,1.3Chabbaggiyā bhikkhuniyo chabbaggiyānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ vosāsantiyo ṭhitā honti—the nuns from the group of six were directing people toward the monks from the group of six, saying,1.4“idha sūpaṁ detha, idha odanaṁ dethā”ti.“Give curry here; give rice there.”1.5Chabbaggiyā bhikkhū yāvadatthaṁ bhuñjanti.The monks from the group of six ate as much as they wanted,1.6Aññe bhikkhū na cittarūpaṁ bhuñjanti.but not so the other monks.

1.7Ye te bhikkhū appicchā …pe… te ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—The monks of few desires complained and criticized them,1.8“kathañhi nāma chabbaggiyā bhikkhū bhikkhuniyo vosāsantiyo na nivāressantī”ti …pe…“How could the monks from the group of six not restrain the nuns from giving directions?” …1.9“saccaṁ kira tumhe, bhikkhave, bhikkhuniyo vosāsantiyo na nivārethā”ti?“Is it true, monks, that you didn’t do this?”

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

1.11Vigarahi buddho bhagavā …pe…The Buddha rebuked them …1.12kathañhi nāma tumhe, moghapurisā, bhikkhuniyo vosāsantiyo na nivāressatha.“Foolish men, how could you not do this?1.13Netaṁ, moghapurisā, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya …pe…This will affect people’s confidence …” …1.14evañca pana, bhikkhave, imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddiseyyātha—“And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:

1.15.0Final ruling

1.15.1“Bhikkhū paneva kulesu nimantitā bhuñjanti, tatra ce sā bhikkhunī vosāsamānarūpā ṭhitā hoti—‘idha sūpaṁ detha, idha odanaṁ dethā’ti, tehi bhikkhūhi sā bhikkhunī apasādetabbā— ‘apasakka tāva, bhagini, yāva bhikkhū bhuñjantī’ti. Ekassa cepi bhikkhuno na paṭibhāseyya taṁ bhikkhuniṁ apasādetuṁ— ‘apasakka tāva, bhagini, yāva bhikkhū bhuñjantī’ti paṭidesetabbaṁ tehi bhikkhūhi—‘When monks eat by invitation to families, if a nun is there giving directions, saying, “Give bean curry here; give rice there,” then those monks should stop her: “Stop, sister, while the monks are eating.” If not even a single monk addresses that nun in this way to stop her, they must acknowledge it:1.16‘gārayhaṁ, āvuso, dhammaṁ āpajjimhā asappāyaṁ pāṭidesanīyaṁ, taṁ paṭidesemā’”ti.“We have done a blameworthy and unsuitable thing which is to be acknowledged. We acknowledge it.”’”

2.1.0Definitions

2.1.1Bhikkhū paneva kulesu nimantitā bhuñjantītiWhen monks eat by invitation to families:
2.1.2kulaṁ nāma cattāri kulāni— khattiyakulaṁ, brāhmaṇakulaṁ, vessakulaṁ, suddakulaṁ.a family: there are four kinds of families: the aristocratic family, the brahmin family, the merchant family, the worker family.
2.1.3Nimantitā bhuñjantītiEat by invitation:
2.1.4pañcannaṁ bhojanānaṁ aññatarena bhojanena nimantitā bhuñjanti.eat any of the five cooked foods by invitation.
2.1.5Bhikkhunī nāmaA nun:
2.1.6ubhatosaṅghe upasampannā.she has been given the full ordination by both Sanghas.
2.1.7PTS 4.178Vosāsantī nāmaGiving directions:
2.1.8yathāmittatā yathāsandiṭṭhatā yathāsambhattatā yathāsamānupajjhāyakatā yathāsamānācariyakatā— “idha sūpaṁ detha, idha odanaṁ dethā”ti. Esā vosāsantī nāma.saying, “Give bean curry here; give rice there,” according to friendship, according to companionship, according to who one is devoted to, according to being a co-student, according to being a co-pupil—this is called “giving directions”.
2.1.9Tehi bhikkhūhītiThose monks:
2.1.10bhuñjamānehi bhikkhūhi.the monks who are eating.
2.1.11Sā bhikkhunītiHer:
2.1.12yā sā vosāsantī bhikkhunī.the nun who is giving directions.
2.1.13Tehi bhikkhūhi sā bhikkhunī apasādetabbā— “apasakka tāva, bhagini, yāva bhikkhū bhuñjantī”ti.Those monks should stop her: ‘Stop, sister, while the monks are eating’:
2.1.14Ekassa cepi bhikkhuno anapasādito— “khādissāmi bhuñjissāmī”ti paṭiggaṇhāti, āpatti dukkaṭassa.if she is not stopped by even one monk, and a monk then receives fresh or cooked food with the intention of eating it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.12.1.15Ajjhohāre ajjhohāre āpatti pāṭidesanīyassa.For every mouthful swallowed, he commits an offense entailing acknowledgment.

2.2.0Permutations

2.2.1Upasampannāya upasampannasaññī vosāsantiyā na nivāreti, āpatti pāṭidesanīyassa.If she is fully ordained, and he perceives her as such, and he does not restrain her from giving directions, he commits an offense entailing acknowledgment.2.2.2Upasampannāya vematiko vosāsantiyā na nivāreti, āpatti pāṭidesanīyassa.If she is fully ordained, but he is unsure of it, and he does not restrain her from giving directions, he commits an offense entailing acknowledgment.2.2.3Upasampannāya anupasampannasaññī vosāsantiyā na nivāreti, āpatti pāṭidesanīyassa.If she is fully ordained, but he does not perceive her as such, and he does not restrain her from giving directions, he commits an offense entailing acknowledgment.

2.2.4Ekatoupasampannāya vosāsantiyā na nivāreti, āpatti dukkaṭassa.If he does not restrain a nun who is fully ordained only on one side from giving directions, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.2.2.5Anupasampannāya upasampannasaññī, āpatti dukkaṭassa.If the person is not fully ordained, but he perceives them as such, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.2.2.6Anupasampannāya vematiko, āpatti dukkaṭassa.If the person is not fully ordained, but he is unsure of it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.2.2.7Anupasampannāya anupasampannasaññī, anāpatti.If the person is not fully ordained, and he does not perceive them as such, there is no offense.

2.3.0Non-offenses

2.3.1Anāpatti—There is no offense:2.3.2attano bhattaṁ dāpeti na deti,if a nun does not give it herself, but gets someone else to give her own food; 2.3.3aññesaṁ bhattaṁ deti na dāpeti,if a nun does not get someone else to give it, but she gives someone else’s food herself; 2.3.4yaṁ na dinnaṁ taṁ dāpeti,if a nun gets someone else to give what has not yet been given; 2.3.5yattha na dinnaṁ tattha dāpeti,if a nun gets someone else to give to someone who has not yet received anything; 2.3.6sabbesaṁ samakaṁ dāpeti,if a nun gets someone else to give equally to all; 2.3.7sikkhamānā vosāsati,if a trainee nun is giving directions; 2.3.8sāmaṇerī vosāsati,if a novice nun is giving directions; 2.3.9pañca bhojanāni ṭhapetvā sabbattha, anāpatti,if it is anything apart from the five kinds of cooked food; 2.3.10ummattakassa,if he is insane; 2.3.11ādikammikassāti.if he is the first offender.

2.3.12Dutiyapāṭidesanīyasikkhāpadaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ.The second training rule on letting a nun give directions to donors is finished.

Translator’s notes

  1. Khādissāmi bhuñjissāmi, which would normally refer to both fresh and cooked food. But since fresh food is explicitly excluded, both above and below, it would seem that in this context even khādissāmi refers to eating cooked food.

    ↩ pli-tv-bu-vb-pd2:2.1.14