Origin story

1 At one time the Buddha, the Master, was staying at Āḷavī at the Aggāḷava Shrine. At that time some monks at Āḷavī were doing building work, and they dug the earth and got it dug. People complained and criticised them: “How can the Sakyan ascetics dig the earth and get it dug? They are hurting life with one sense faculty."

2 Monks heard the complaints of those people, and the monks of few desires … complained and criticised those monks: “How can those monks at Āḷavī dig the earth and get it dug?" … “Is it true, monks, that you are doing this?" “It’s true, Master." The Buddha, the Master, criticised them: “ … Foolish men, how can you dig the earth and get it dug? People perceive the earth as having life. This will not give rise to confidence in those without it … And so, monks, this training rule should be recited thus:

Final ruling

3 “If a monk digs the earth or gets it dug, he commits an offence entailing confession."

Definitions

4 A: whoever … Monk: … The monk who is ordained by a complete Sangha through a procedure of one motion and three announcements, which is unchallengeable and fit to stand; this sort of monk is meant in this case.

5 Earth: there are two kinds of earth: productive earth and unproductive earth.

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6 Productive earth: pure soil, pure clay, with few stones, with few pebbles, with few potsherds, with little gravel, with little sand; mostly soil, mostly clay. If it is unburnt, it is also called productive earth. A pile of soil or a pile of clay that has been rained upon for more than four months, this too is called productive earth.

7 Unproductive earth: just stones, just pebbles, just potsherds, just gravel, just sand, with little soil, with little clay; mostly stones, mostly pebbles, mostly potsherds, mostly gravel, mostly sand. If it is burnt, it is also called unproductive earth. A pile of soil or a pile of clay that has been rained upon for less than four months, this too is called unproductive earth.

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8 Digs: if he digs it himself, he commits an offence entailing confession.

9 Gets dug: if he asks another, he commits an offence entailing confession. If he only asks once, then even if the other digs many times, he commits one offence entailing confession.

Permutations

10If it is earth, and he perceives it as earth, and he digs it or gets it dug, or he breaks it or gets it broken, or he burns it or gets it burnt, he commits an offence entailing confession.

11If it is earth, but he has doubts about it, and he digs it or gets it dug, or he breaks it or gets it broken, or he burns it or gets it burnt, he commits an offence of bad conduct.

12If it is earth, but he does not perceive it as earth, and he digs it or gets it dug, or he breaks it or gets it broken, or he burns it or gets it burnt, there is no offence.

Non-offences

14There is no offence: if he says, “Consider this, give this, bring this, there is need for this, make this allowable"; if it is unintentional; if he is not mindful; if he does not know; if he is insane; if he is the first offender.

15The tenth rule, the training rule on digging the earth, is finished.
The first chapter on lying is finished.

16This is the summary:

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17Falsely, abusive, and malicious talebearing,
Lines, and two on beds;
Apart from one who understands, true,
Serious offence, digging.

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1 tena samayena buddho bhagavā āḷaviyaṃ viharati aggāḷave cetiye. tena kho pana samayena āḷavakā bhikkhū navakammaṃ karontā pathaviṃ khaṇantipi khaṇāpentipi. manussā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—  "kathañhi nāma samaṇā sakyaputtiyā pathaviṃ khaṇissantipi khaṇāpessantipi. ekindriyaṃ samaṇā sakyaputtiyā jīvaṃ viheṭhentī"ti.

2 assosuṃ kho bhikkhū tesaṃ manussānaṃ ujjhāyantānaṃ khiyyantānaṃ vipācentānaṃ. ye te bhikkhū appicchā … pe …   te ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—  "kathañhi nāma āḷavakā bhikkhū pathaviṃ khaṇissantipi khaṇāpessantipī"ti … pe …   "saccaṃ kira tumhe, bhikkhave, pathaviṃ khaṇathapi khaṇāpethapī"ti? "saccaṃ, bhagavā"ti. vigarahi buddho bhagavā … pe …   kathañhi nāma tumhe, moghapurisā, pathaviṃ khaṇissathapi khaṇāpessathapi. jīvasaññino hi, moghapurisā, manussā pathaviyā. netaṃ, moghapurisā, appasannānaṃ vā pasādāya … pe …   evañca pana, bhikkhave, imaṃ sikkhāpadaṃ uddiseyyātha— 

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3 "yo pana bhikkhu pathaviṃ khaṇeyya vā khaṇāpeyya vā, pācittiyan"ti. (10:59)

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4 yo panāti yo yādiso … pe … bhikkhūti … pe …   ayaṃ imasmiṃ atthe adhippeto bhikkhūti.

5 pathavī nāma dve pathaviyo—  jātā ca pathavī ajātā ca pathavī.

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6 jātā nāma pathavī—  suddhapaṃsu suddhamattikā appapāsāṇā appasakkharā appakaṭhalā appamarumbā appavālikā, yebhuyyenapaṃsukā, yebhuyyenamattikā. adaḍḍhāpi vuccati jātā pathavī. yopi paṃsupuñjo vā mattikāpuñjo vā atirekacātumāsaṃ ovaṭṭho, ayampi vuccati jātā pathavī.

7 ajātā nāma pathavī—  suddhapāsāṇā suddhasakkharā suddhakaṭhalā suddhamarumbā suddhavālikā appapaṃsukā appamattikā, yebhuyyenapāsāṇā, yebhuyyenasakkharā, yebhuyyenakaṭhalā, yebhuyyenamarumbā, yebhuyyenavālikā. daḍḍhāpi vuccati ajātā pathavī. yopi paṃsupuñjo vā mattikāpuñjo vā omakacātumāsaṃ ovaṭṭho, ayampi vuccati ajātā pathavī.

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8 khaṇeyyāti sayaṃ khaṇati, āpatti pācittiyassa.

9 khaṇāpeyyāti aññaṃ āṇāpeti, āpatti pācittiyassa. sakiṃ āṇatto bahukampi khaṇati, āpatti pācittiyassa.

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10 pathaviyā pathavisaññī khaṇati vā khaṇāpeti vā, bhindati vā bhedāpeti vā, dahati vā dahāpeti vā, āpatti pācittiyassa.

11 pathaviyā vematiko khaṇati vā khaṇāpeti vā, bhindati vā bhedāpeti vā, dahati vā dahāpeti vā, āpatti dukkaṭassa.

12 pathaviyā apathavisaññī khaṇati vā khaṇāpeti vā, bhindati vā bhedāpeti vā, dahati vā dahāpeti vā, anāpatti.

13 apathaviyā pathavisaññī, āpatti dukkaṭassa. apathaviyā vematiko, āpatti dukkaṭassa. apathaviyā apathavisaññī, anāpatti.

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14 anāpatti—  "imaṃ jāna, imaṃ dehi, imaṃ āhara, iminā attho, imaṃ kappiyaṃ karohī"ti bhaṇati, asañcicca, asatiyā, ajānantassa, ummattakassa, ādikammikassāti.

15 pathavīkhaṇanasikkhāpadaṃ niṭṭhitaṃ dasamaṃ.
musāvādavaggo paṭhamo.

16 tassuddānaṃ

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17 musā omasapesuññaṃ,
padaseyyāya ve duve;
aññatra viññunā bhūtā,
duṭṭhullāpatti khaṇanāti.