Vinaya Pitaka - Monastic Rules
Bhikkhu Vibhanga - Sekhiya 8: To keep the eyes lowered when going to inhabited areas.
- Translated from the Pali by I.B. Horner.
… in Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now at that time the group of six monks looking about here and there sat down amidst the houses … " …
‘With the eyes cast down will I sit down amidst the houses,’ is a training to be observed."
One should go (sit down) amidst the houses with the eyes cast down looking only a plough’s (distance ahead). Whoever out of disrespect, looking about here and there, sits down amidst the houses, there is an offence of wrong-doing.
There is no offence if it is unintentional, if he is not thinking, if he does not know, if he is ill, if there are accidents, if he is mad, if he is the first wrong-doer.
1 tena samayena buddho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṃ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. tena kho pana samayena chabbaggiyā bhikkhū tahaṃ tahaṃ olokentā antaraghare nisīdanti … pe … .
2 "okkhittacakkhu antaraghare nisīdissāmīti sikkhā karaṇīyā"ti. (8:153)
3 okkhittacakkhunā antaraghare nisīditabbaṃ yugamattaṃ pekkhantena. yo anādariyaṃ paṭicca tahaṃ tahaṃ olokento antaraghare nisīdati, āpatti dukkaṭassa.
4 anāpatti— asañcicca, assatiyā, ajānantassa, gilānassa, āpadāsu, ummattakassa, ādikammikassāti.