Origin story

1 At one time the Buddha, the Master, was staying at Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery. At that time the senior monks were instructing the nuns in turn, and on one occasion it was the turn of Venerable Cūḷapanthaka. The nuns said: “Today the instruction will not be effective, since Venerable Cūḷapanthaka will just be repeating the same utterance over and over."

Soon afterwards those nuns went to Venerable Cūḷapanthaka, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. Venerable Cūḷapanthaka then said to them: “Are you all present, sisters?"

“We are all present, venerable."

“Are you keeping the eight important rules?"

“We are."

Saying, “This is the instruction," he spoke the same utterance again and again:

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2 For the heedful one, possessed of the higher mind,
For the sage training on the path to sagacity,
There are no sorrows for such a one,
The peaceful one, who is always mindful.

3 And the nuns said: “Didn’t we say that the instruction would not be effective, that Venerable Cūḷapanthaka would just be repeating the same utterance over and over?" But Venerable Cūḷapanthaka overheard that conversation between the nuns. 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 speaking the same utterance and many other sayings of the Buddha. And the nuns said: “It’s astonishing and amazing! No previous instruction has been as effective as this one from Venerable Cūḷapanthaka!" And Venerable Cūḷapanthaka kept on instructing those nuns until the dark of night, and then dismissed them, saying, “Go, sisters."

4 Then, because the gates of the town were closed, those nuns stayed the night outside of town and entered it in the morning. People complained and criticised them: “These nuns are not celibate. They spend the night in the monastery with the monks and only now do they enter the town."

5 Monks heard the complaints of those people, and the monks of few desires … complained and criticised Venerable Cūḷapanthaka: “How can Venerable Cūḷapanthaka instruct the nuns after the sun has set?" … “Is it true, Cūḷapanthaka, that you do this?" “It’s true, Master." The Buddha, the Master, criticised him: “ … Cūḷapanthaka, how can you instruct the nuns after the sun has set? This will not give rise to confidence in those without it … And, monks, this training rule should be recited thus:

Final ruling

6 “Even if he has been agreed upon, if a monk instructs the nuns after sunset, he commits an offence entailing confession."

Definitions

7 Who has been agreed upon: who has been agreed upon through an act consisting of one motion and three announcements.

8 After sunset: after the sun has gone down.

9 Nuns: fully ordained by both Sanghas.

10Instructs: if he instructs in the eight important rules or he gives any other teaching, he commits an offence entailing confession.

Permutations

11If the sun has set, and he perceives that it has, and he instructs the nuns, he commits an offence entailing confession. If the sun has set, but he has doubts about it, and he instructs the nuns, he commits an offence entailing confession. If the sun has set, but he perceives that it has not, and he instructs the nuns, he commits an offence entailing confession.

12If he instructs a nun ordained only on one side, he commits an offence of bad conduct. If the sun has not set, but he perceives that it has, he commits an offence of bad conduct. If the sun has not set, but he doubts about it, he commits an offence of bad conduct. If the sun has not set, and he perceives that it has not, there is no offence.

Non-offences

13There is no offence: if he gives a summary; if he conducts an examination; if he recites when asked to do so; if he asks a question; if he replies when asked a question; if he is speaking for the benefit of someone else and the nuns listen in; if it is to a trainee nun; if it is to a novice nun; if he is insane; if he is the first offender.

14The second rule, the training rule on gone down, is finished.

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1 tena samayena buddho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṃ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. tena kho pana samayena therā bhikkhū bhikkhuniyo ovadanti pariyāyena. tena kho pana samayena āyasmato cūḷapanthakassa pariyāyo hoti bhikkhuniyo ovadituṃ. bhikkhuniyo evamāhaṃsu—  "na dāni ajja ovādo iddho bhavissati, taññeva dāni udānaṃ ayyo cūḷapanthako punappunaṃ bhaṇissatī"ti. atha kho tā bhikkhuniyo yenāyasmā cūḷapanthako tenupasankamiṃsu; upasankamitvā āyasmantaṃ cūḷapanthakaṃ abhivādetvā ekamantaṃ nisīdiṃsu. ekamantaṃ nisinnā kho tā bhikkhuniyo āyasmā cūḷapanthako etadavoca—  "samaggāttha, bhaginiyo"ti? "samaggāmhāyyā"ti. "vattanti, bhaginiyo, aṭṭha garudhammā"ti? "vattantāyyā"ti. "eso, bhaginiyo, ovādo"ti niyyādetvā imaṃ udānaṃ punappunaṃ abhāsi— 

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2 "adhicetaso appamajjato,
munino monapathesu sikkhato;
sokā na bhavanti tādino,
upasantassa sadā satīmato"ti.

3 bhikkhuniyo evamāhaṃsu—  "nanu avocumhā—  na dāni ajja ovādo iddho bhavissati, taññeva dāni udānaṃ ayyo cūḷapanthako punappunaṃ bhaṇissatī"ti. assosi kho āyasmā cūḷapanthako tāsaṃ bhikkhunīnaṃ imaṃ kathāsallāpaṃ. atha kho āyasmā cūḷapanthako vehāsaṃ abbhuggantvā ākāse antalikkhe cankamatipi tiṭṭhatipi nisīdatipi seyyampi kappeti dhūmāyatipi pajjalatipi antaradhāyatipi, tañceva udānaṃ bhaṇati aññañca bahuṃ buddhavacanaṃ. bhikkhuniyo evamāhaṃsu— "acchariyaṃ vata bho, abbhutaṃ vata bho. na vata no ito pubbe ovādo evaṃ iddho bhūtapubbo yathā ayyassa cūḷapanthakassā"ti. atha kho āyasmā cūḷapanthako tā bhikkhuniyo yāva samandhakārā ovaditvā uyyojesi—  "gacchatha, bhaginiyo"ti.

4 atha kho tā bhikkhuniyo nagaradvāre thakite bahinagare vasitvā kālasseva nagaraṃ pavisanti. manussā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—  "abrahmacāriniyo imā bhikkhuniyo; ārāme bhikkhūhi saddhiṃ vasitvā idāni nagaraṃ pavisantī"ti.

5 assosuṃ kho bhikkhū tesaṃ manussānaṃ ujjhāyantānaṃ khiyyantānaṃ vipācentānaṃ. ye te bhikkhū appicchā … pe …   te ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—  "kathañhi nāma āyasmā cūḷapanthako atthangate sūriye bhikkhuniyo ovadissatī"ti … pe …   "saccaṃ kira tvaṃ, cūḷapanthaka, atthangate sūriye bhikkhuniyo ovadasī"ti? "saccaṃ, bhagavā"ti. vigarahi buddho bhagavā … pe …   kathañhi nāma tvaṃ, cūḷapanthaka, atthangate sūriye bhikkhuniyo ovadissasi. netaṃ, cūḷapanthaka, appasannānaṃ vā pasādāya … pe …   evañca pana, bhikkhave, imaṃ sikkhāpadaṃ uddiseyyātha— 

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6 "sammatopi ce bhikkhu atthangate sūriye bhikkhuniyo ovadeyya, pācittiyan"ti. (22:71)

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7 sammato nāma ñatticatutthena kammena sammato.

8 atthangate sūriyeti oggate sūriye.

9 bhikkhunī nāma ubhatosaṇghe upasampannā.

10 ovadeyyāti aṭṭhahi vā garudhammehi aññena vā dhammena ovadati, āpatti pācittiyassa.

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11 atthangate atthangatasaññī ovadati, āpatti pācittiyassa. atthangate vematiko ovadati, āpatti pācittiyassa. atthangate anatthangatasaññī ovadati, āpatti pācittiyassa.

12 ekatoupasampannāya ovadati, āpatti dukkaṭassa. anatthangate atthangatasaññī, āpatti dukkaṭassa. anatthangate vematiko, āpatti dukkaṭassa. anatthangate anatthangatasaññī, anāpatti.

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13 anāpatti—  uddesaṃ dento, paripucchaṃ dento, "osārehi ayyā"ti vuccamāno, osāreti, pañhaṃ pucchati, pañhaṃ puṭṭho katheti, aññassatthāya bhaṇantaṃ bhikkhuniyo suṇanti, sikkhamānāya sāmaṇeriyā, ummattakassa, ādikammikassāti.

14 atthangatasikkhāpadaṃ niṭṭhitaṃ dutiyaṃ.