Vinaya Pitaka - Monastic Rules
Bhikkhu Vibhanga - Nissaggiya Pācittiya 8: Not to ask for a good quality robe from a supporter who is saving money to offer one.
- Translated from the Pali by Brahmali Bhikkhu..
Origin story
1At one time the Buddha, the Master, was staying at Sāvatthi in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍikaʼs Park. At that time a certain man said to his wife: "I will give a robe to Venerable Upananda."
A certain monk who was an alms-collector heard that man making this statement. He went to Venerable Upananda and said: "Upananda, you have much merit. I have just heard a man telling his wife that he will give you a robe."
Venerable Upananda replied: "He is my supporter."
2Venerable Upananda then went to that man and said: "Is it true that you desire to give me a robe?"
"Indeed, that is just what I was thinking."
"If that is the case, then give me such-and-such a robe. For what is the point of giving a robe that I cannot use?"
Then that man grubu-vb-np9.htmlmbled and complained: "These Sakyan ascetics have great desires; they are not content. Itʼs not easy to give them a robe. How can Venerable Upananda approach me and make a suggestion about the robe without first being invited by me?"
3The monks heard the complaints of that man, and the monks of few desires … complained and criticised him: "How could Venerable Upananda approach a householder and make a suggestion about a robe without first being invited?"
4After criticising Venerable Upananda in many ways, they informed the Master … "Is it true, Upananda, that you approached a householder and made a suggestion about a robe without first being invited?"
"Itʼs true, Master."
"Is he a relative of yours?"
"No, Master."
"Foolish man, people who are not related do not know what is appropriate and what is inappropriate in dealing with each other, what is right and what is wrong. And still you approached an unrelated householder and made a suggestion about a robe without first being invited. This will not give rise to confidence in those without it … And, monks, this training rule should be recited thus:
Final ruling
5"If a male or female householder has set aside a robe fund for an unrelated monk, thinking, ʻWith this robe fund I will buy a robe and supply monk so-and-so with it;ʼ and if that monk, without first being invited, approaches him and makes a suggestion about the robe, saying, ʻIt would be good, sir, if you would use this robe fund to buy such-and-such a robe and then supply me,ʼ and he does so because he wants something nice, he commits and offence entailing relinquishment and confession."
Definitions
6For a … monk: for the benefit of a monk; making a monk the object of consideration, one desire to supply him.
7Unrelated: anyone who is not a descendent of oneʼs male ancestors going back seven generations, either on the motherʼs side or on the fatherʼs side.
8A male householder: any man who lives in a house.
9A female householder: any woman who lives in a house.
10A robe fund: gold, a pearl, a gem, a coral, a crystal, cloth, thread, or cotton wool.
11With this robe fund: with that which is at oneʼs disposal.
12I will buy: having exchanged.
13I will … supply: I will give.
14If that monk: the monk for whom the robe fund has been set aside.
15Without first being invited: he or she has not said beforehand: "Bhante, what kind of robe do you need? What kind of robe can I buy for you?"
16Approaches him: having gone to his house or having gone wherever.
17Makes a suggestion about the robe: may it be long or wide or closely woven or soft.
18This robe fund: that which is at oneʼs disposal.
19Such-and-such: long or wide or closely woven or soft.
22Because he wants something nice: wanting something nice, wanting something expensive.
If that householder buys one that is long, wide, closely woven, or soft because of his statement, he commits an offence of bad conduct for the act of making the statement. If he gets the robe, he commits an offence entailing relinquishment. The robe is to be relinquished to a Sangha, a group, or an individual.
"And, monks, it is to be relinquished in this way. … To be expanded as in Relinquishment 1, MS paragraphs 1873–1877, with appropriate substitutions. … ʻBhante, this robe of mine, which I received after approaching an unrelated householder and making a suggestion about the robe without first being invited, is to be relinquished. I relinquish it to the Sangha.ʼ … the Sangha should give … the Venerables should give … ʻI give this robe back to the Venerable.ʼ"
Permutations
23If the householder is unrelated and he perceives them as unrelated, and, without first being invited, he approaches them and makes a suggestion about the robe, he commits an offence entailing relinquishment and confession. If the householder is unrelated, but he has doubts about it, and, without first being invited, he approaches them and makes a suggestion about the robe, he commits an offence entailing relinquishment and confession. If the householder is unrelated, but he perceives them as related, and, without first being invited, he approaches them and makes a suggestion about the robe, he commits an offence entailing relinquishment and confession.
24If the householder is related, but he perceive them a unrelated, he commit an offence of bad conduct. If the householder is related, but he has doubts about it, he commit an offence of bad conduct. If the householder is related and he perceive them as related, there is no offence.
Non-offences
25There is no offence: if it is from relatives; if it is from those who have given an invitation; if it is for the benefit of another; if it is by means of his own property; if the householder wishes to buy something expensive, but he gets them to buy something inexpensive; if he is insane; if he is the first offender.
26The eighth rule, the training rule on setting aside, is finished.
1 tena samayena buddho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṃ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. tena kho pana samayena aññataro puriso pajāpatiṃ etadavoca— "ayyaṃ upanandaṃ cīvarena acchādessāmī"ti. assosi kho aññataro piṇḍacāriko bhikkhu tassa purisassa imaṃ vācaṃ bhāsamānassa. atha kho so bhikkhu yenāyasmā upanando sakyaputto tenupasankami; upasankamitvā āyasmantaṃ upanandaṃ sakyaputtaṃ etadavoca— "mahāpuññosi tvaṃ, āvuso upananda. amukasmiṃ okāse aññataro puriso pajāpatiṃ etadavoca— ‘ayyaṃ upanandaṃ cīvarena acchādessāmī’"ti. "atthāvuso, maṃ so upaṭṭhāko"ti.
2 atha kho āyasmā upanando sakyaputto yena so puriso tenupasankami; upasankamitvā taṃ purisaṃ etadavoca— "saccaṃ kira maṃ tvaṃ, āvuso, cīvarena acchādetukāmosī"ti? "api meyya, evaṃ hoti— ‘ayyaṃ upanandaṃ cīvarena acchādessāmī’"ti. "sace kho maṃ tvaṃ, āvuso, cīvarena acchādetukāmosi, evarūpena cīvarena acchādehi. kyāhaṃ tena acchannopi karissāmi yāhaṃ na paribhuñjissāmī"ti. atha kho so puriso ujjhāyati khiyyati vipāceti— "mahicchā ime samaṇā sakyaputtiyā asantuṭṭhā. nayime sukarā cīvarena acchādetuṃ. kathañhi nāma ayyo upanando mayā pubbe appavārito maṃ upasankamitvā cīvare vikappaṃ āpajjissatī"ti.
3 assosuṃ kho bhikkhū tassa purisassa ujjhāyantassa khiyyantassa vipācentassa. ye te bhikkhū appicchā … pe … te ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti— "kathañhi nāma āyasmā upanando sakyaputto pubbe appavārito gahapatikaṃ upasankamitvā cīvare vikappaṃ āpajjissatī"ti.
4 atha kho te bhikkhū āyasmantaṃ upanandaṃ sakyaputtaṃ anekapariyāyena vigarahitvā bhagavato etamatthaṃ ārocesuṃ … pe … "saccaṃ kira tvaṃ, upananda, pubbe appavārito gahapatikaṃ upasankamitvā cīvare vikappaṃ āpajjasī"ti? "saccaṃ, bhagavā"ti. "ñātako te, upananda, aññātako"ti? "aññātako, bhagavā"ti. "aññātako, moghapurisa, aññātakassa na jānāti patirūpaṃ vā appatirūpaṃ vā santaṃ vā asantaṃ vā. tattha nāma tvaṃ, moghapurisa, pubbe appavārito aññātakaṃ gahapatikaṃ upasankamitvā cīvare vikappaṃ āpajjissasi. netaṃ, moghapurisa, appasannānaṃ vā pasādāya … pe … evañca pana, bhikkhave, imaṃ sikkhāpadaṃ uddiseyyātha—
5 "bhikkhuṃ paneva uddissa aññātakassa gahapatissa vā gahapatāniyā vā cīvaracetāpannaṃ upakkhaṭaṃ hoti— ‘iminā cīvaracetāpannena cīvaraṃ cetāpetvā itthannāmaṃ bhikkhuṃ cīvarena acchādessāmī’ti; tatra ce so bhikkhu pubbe appavārito upasankamitvā cīvare vikappaṃ āpajjeyya— ‘sādhu vata maṃ āyasmā iminā cīvaracetāpannena evarūpaṃ vā evarūpaṃ vā cīvaraṃ cetāpetvā acchādehī’ti, kalyāṇakamyataṃ upādāya, nissaggiyaṃ pācittiyan"ti. (8:27)
6 bhikkhuṃ paneva uddissāti bhikkhussatthāya, bhikkhuṃ ārammaṇaṃ karitvā, bhikkhuṃ acchādetukāmo.
7 aññātako nāma mātito vā pitito vā yāva sattamā pitāmahayugā asambaddho.
8 gahapati nāma yo koci agāraṃ ajjhāvasati.
9 gahapatānī nāma yā kāci agāraṃ ajjhāvasati.
10 cīvaracetāpannaṃ nāma hiraññaṃ vā suvaṇṇaṃ vā muttā vā maṇi vā pavāḷo vā phaliko vā paṭako vā suttaṃ vā kappāso vā.
11 iminā cīvaracetāpannenāti paccupaṭṭhitena.
14 tatra ce so bhikkhūti yaṃ bhikkhuṃ uddissa cīvaracetāpannaṃ upakkhaṭaṃ hoti so bhikkhu.
15 pubbe appavāritoti pubbe avutto hoti— "kīdisena te, bhante, cīvarena attho, kīdisaṃ te cīvaraṃ cetāpemī"ti?
16 upasankamitvāti gharaṃ gantvā yattha katthaci upasankamitvā.
17 cīvare vikappaṃ āpajjeyyāti āyataṃ vā hotu vitthataṃ vā appitaṃ vā saṇhaṃ vā.
18 iminā cīvaracetāpannenāti paccupaṭṭhitena.
19 evarūpaṃ vā evarūpaṃ vāti. āyataṃ vā vitthataṃ vā appitaṃ vā saṇhaṃ vā.
22 kalyāṇakamyataṃ upādāyāti sādhatthiko mahagghatthiko. tassa vacanena āyataṃ vā vitthataṃ vā appitaṃ vā saṇhaṃ vā cetāpeti, payoge dukkaṭaṃ. paṭilābhena nissaggiyaṃ hoti. nissajjitabbaṃ sanghassa vā gaṇassa vā puggalassa vā. evañca pana, bhikkhave, nissajjitabbaṃ … pe … "idaṃ me, bhante, cīvaraṃ pubbe appavārito aññātakaṃ gahapatikaṃ upasankamitvā cīvare vikappaṃ āpannaṃ nissaggiyaṃ, imāhaṃ sanghassa nissajjāmī"ti … pe … dadeyyāti … pe … dadeyyunti … pe … āyasmato dammīti.
23 aññātake aññātakasaññī pubbe appavārito gahapatikaṃ upasankamitvā cīvare vikappaṃ āpajjati, nissaggiyaṃ pācittiyaṃ. aññātake vematiko pubbe appavārito gahapatikaṃ upasankamitvā cīvare vikappaṃ āpajjati, nissaggiyaṃ pācittiyaṃ. aññātake ñātakasaññī pubbe appavārito gahapatikaṃ upasankamitvā cīvare vikappaṃ āpajjati, nissaggiyaṃ pācittiyaṃ.
24 ñātake aññātakasaññī, āpatti dukkaṭassa. ñātake vematiko, āpatti dukkaṭassa. ñātake ñātakasaññī, anāpatti.
25 anāpatti— ñātakānaṃ, pavāritānaṃ, aññassatthāya, attano dhanena, mahagghaṃ cetāpetukāmassa appagghaṃ cetāpeti, ummattakassa, ādikammikassāti.