Venerable Sirs, the Introduction is now recited.
Thus do I question you, venerable Sirs, 'Are you pure in this matter ? '
A second time do I question you, 'Are you pure in this matter ?'
A third time do I question you, 'Are you pure in this matter ? '
The venerable ones are pure herein. Therefore do they keep silence. Thus I understand.
Here endeth the recitation of the Introduction.
1 The spelling of the Pali word in the text should be anus- savitaw, and so below, anussaviyamane. By 'the text' we refer throughout to Mr. Dickson's very careful edition, all the necessary corrections in which — they are mostly only misprints — will be noticed in the following notes.
2 See Mahavagga II, 3, 7.
PARAGIKA DHAMMA.
PARA£IKA DHAMMA.
The Paragika Rules1.
Here these four Rules, concerning those acts
which bring about Defeat 2, come into recitation.
i. Whatsoever Bhikkhu who has taken upon
1 The whole of the following portion of the Patimokkha, together with the ancient commentary upon it, is contained in the first book of the Vibhanga, also called the Paragikaw.
Dickson translates throughout DhammS, by 'offences.' He is no doubt right in taking the word, not in its ordinary sense of condition or quality, but in a more strictly technical, legal, sense. ' Offences ' is however not the right direction in which to limit the general sense. Dhamm& must here be ' Rules/ in accordance with the passages quoted in our Introduction, pp. xxviii-xxx.
2 Childers (sub voce) follows Burnouf (Introduction, &c, p. 301) in deriving the word Para^ika from AG with para pre- fixed, taking that compound in the sense of * to expel/ Dickson's translation ' deadly sin ' rests upon the same basis. The Buddhist commentators refer the word to the passive of GI with pard pre- fixed, in the sense of ' to suffer defeat' So the Samanta-Pasadik& : P&rdgiko hotiti para^ito para^ayaw dpanno. Now the root AG belongs to the Vedic dialect only, and is not met with in any Buddhist expressions, and even in the Vedas it does not occur with para prefixed. The Buddhist forms of speech have quite different and settled terms with which to convey the idea of ex- pulsion. On the other hand, there was a considerable group of words in use in the Buddhist community with which para^ika stands in close connection: par&g-i, 'to suffer defeat;' para^ita, 'defeated;' para^-aya, 'defeat.' We cannot therefore but think that the native commentators are right in associating para^ika also with this group, and that the word really means ' involving defeat/ This may mean specifically defeat in the struggle with Mara the Evil One; but more probably defeat in the struggle against evil generally, defeat in the effort to accomplish the object for which the Bhikkhu entered the Order, in the effort to reach the ' supreme goal' of Arahatship.
himself the Bhikkhus' system of self-training and
rule of life, and has not thereafter withdrawn from
the training, or declared his weakness, shall have
carnal knowledge of any one, down even to an
animal, he has fallen into defeat, he is no longer
in communion \
2. Whatsoever Bhikkhu shall take, from village
or from wood, anything not given — what men call
' theft 2 ' — in such manner of taking as kings would
seize the thief for, and slay, or bind, or banish him,
saying, ' Thou art a thief, thou art stupid, thou art
a fool, thou art dishonest/ — the Bhikkhu who in
that manner takes the thing not given, he, too, has
fallen into defeat, he is no longer in communion.
3. Whatsoever Bhikkhu shall knowingly deprive
of life a human being, or shall seek out an assassin
against a human being, or shall utter the praises of
death, or incite another to self-destruction, saying,
' Ho! my friend! what good do you get from this
sinful, wretched life ? death is better to thee than
life!' — if, so thinking, and with such an aim, he, by
various argument, utter the praises of death or incite
another to self-destruction — he, too, is fallen into
defeat, he is no longer in communion ;
1 ' Declared his weakness ' refers to the permission (on the ground that it was better to leave the Order than to burn) for a Bhikkhu to acknowledge himself unfit for the discipline, and throw off the robe. ' Withdrawn from the training ' is the formal expression for thus throwing off the Robes. See below, Maha- vaggall, 22, 3.
On sikkhasag-iva/rc, which is by no means only ' Rules of the Order/ see the Vibhanga (Par. I, 8, 1).
2 The Vibhanga (Par. II, 3) takes theyya-sawkhatazra as meaning ' with dishonest intent.'
3 The deviations here from Mr. Dickson's version will, we hope, justify themselves. There is no commentary on haraka, though
PARAGIKA DHAMMA.
4. Whatsoever Bhikkhu, without being clearly
conscious of extraordinary qualities, shall give out
regarding himself that insight into the knowledge
of the noble ones has been accomplished, saying,
'Thus do I know/ 'Thus do I perceive:' and at
some subsequent time whether on being pressed,
or without being pressed, he, feeling guilty, shall
be desirous of being cleansed from his fault, and
shall say, ' Brethren ! when I knew not, I said that
I knew ; when I saw not, I said that I saw — telling a
fruitless falsehood ;' then, unless he so spake through
undue confidence he, too, has fallen into defeat, he
is no longer in communion \
Venerable Sirs, the four Conditions of Defeat
have been recited, of which when a Bhikkhu has
fallen into one or other, he is no longer allowed to
be in co-residence with the Bhikkhus. As before, so
afterwards, he is defeated, he is not in communion2.
the Vibhanga (Par. Ill, 3, 1) explains the different kinds of Sattha. Papaka must be ' sinful/ not merely 'poor;' the suggestion is ' by destroying your life you will escape from the possibility of sinning.'
1 The extraordinary qualities (literally, 'superhuman qualities') are defined to be the Vimokkhas, Samadhis, the Samapattis, the iVa«a- dassana, the having experienced the Noble Path, and having realised the Fruit thereof ; that is to say, Arahatship and the highest forms of spiritual emotion and intelligence which can accompany Arahatship. They are in fact, therefore, superhuman only in the sense of extra- ordinary ; as it is precisely human beings, and only human beings, who were supposed to be able to acquire these qualities.
Uddha£/£ a, 'Self-righteousness/ is also the last but one of the ten Sa^yo^-anas, or 'Fetters/ which the Arahat has to break.
2 The sentences which follow in the text, but are not here trans- lated, and in which it is declared that all the following portions of the Patimokkha have already been heard, do not occur in the Vibhanga. They are not part of the Patimokkha ; but only the
In respect of them I ask the venerable ones, ' Are you pure in this matter ? '
A second time I ask, ' Are you pure in this matter ? '
A third time I ask, ' Are you pure in this matter ? '
The venerable ones are pure herein. Therefore do they keep silence. Thus I understand.
Here endeth the recitation of the P&ra^ikas.
form to be used, when the Patimokkha cannot be recited in full, and all the remaining Rules are to be omitted. According to Mah&- vagga II, ig, i, 4 this abridged recital may be used in certain cases of danger.
On Yath& pure tatha pa£/£/$a there is no explanation in the Old Commentary. The phrase probably means that the Bhikkhu is irrevocably defeated. He must remain for ever in the condi- tion (of permanent exclusion from the Order) into which he has brought himself.
SAMGHADISESA DHAMMA.
SA^/GHADISESA DHAMMA.
Rules which require, as well in their earlier
AS in their later stages, formal meetings
of the Order1.
Here, venerable Sirs, the thirteen matters, which,
as well in their earlier as in their later stages, require
formal meetings of the Order, come into recitation.
i. The emission of semen by design, except by a person sleeping, is a Sa^ghadisesa.
2. Whatsoever Bhikkhu, being degraded2, shall,
with perverted 3 mind, come into bodily contact with
a woman, by taking hold of her hand, or by taking
hold of her hair, or by touching any part of her body —
that is a Sa^ghadisesa.
3. Whatsoever Bhikkhu, being degraded, shall,
with perverted mind, address a woman with wicked
words, exciting to passion as those of a young man
to a maid — that is a Sawghadisesa4.
1 The expression is carious, but the authorities given by Childers (sub voce) are decisive as to its meaning. Whereas the Para^ika offences were dealt with in one meeting of the Order, these thirteen offences gave rise to the various Sawghakammas (formal resolu- tions or proceedings at meetings of the Order), which are explained in detail in the third Khandhaka of the iTullavagga.
The text of, and the ancient commentary on this portion of the Patimokkha will be found in the Vibhanga in the Book on the Sa#zghadisesas.
2 Otinno, literally, 'having gone down/ which the old commen- tator in the Vibhanga explains as 'lustfully, or with a mind bound by desire/ Our word 'degraded' has often a very similar connotation.
3 Vipari/zatena, literally, 'changed;' here 'changed for the worse/ Compare MaM-sudassana Sutta II, 39, and the Old Com- ment at Minayeff, p. 64.
4 Compare the second Aniyata.
8 PATIMOKKHA.
4. Whatsoever Bhikkhu, being degraded, shall,
with perverted mind, magnify, in the hearing of a
woman, ministration to himself1 (by saying), 'This,
Sister, would be the noblest of ministrations, that
to so righteous and exalted a religious person as
myself you should ministrate by that act/ (meaning)
sexual intercourse — that is a Sa^ghadisesa.
5. Whatsoever Bhikkhu shall act as a go-between
for a woman to a man, or for a man to a woman, or
for a wife, or for a paramour, or even for a harlot —
that is a Sawgh&disesa.
6. A Bhikkhu who, begging (the materials) to-
gether, is having a hut put up for his own use, to
belong to no one (else), must have it made of due
measurement. And herein this is the measurement —
in length twelve spans according to the accepted
span 2, in breadth seven spans (measured) inside.
1 Attakamapari/£ariya, perhaps 'to his lusts;' but we follow the old commentator.
2 Sugata-vidatthiya. Dickson translates 'of the span of Buddha/ Sugata being one of the many epithets applied to the Buddha in poetry, or poetical prose. Mr. James D'Alwis in the Ceylon Asiatic Society's Journal for 1874 has a long article to show that this cannot be the correct meaning of the word ' Sugata' in this connection ; and we think he is right, though his discussion as to what it does mean (evidently more than a simple span) seems to lead to no certain conclusion. The older Ceylon commentators take the expression as being equal to one and a half carpenter's cubits, a 'carpenter's cubit' (Sinhalese Wadu-riyana) being two ordinary cubits, so that ' the Buddha's span ' (as they translate it) would be four feet and a half! But the Bhikkhus of the present day in Ceylon take it to be equal to the length of the supposed foot-print of the Buddha on Adam's Peak ; that is, four ordinary cubits, or six feet. See Dickson's note ; and compare Nissaggiya 15, and Pa&ttiya 87-92.
There is no comment on the phrase in the Old Commentary
SAilfGHADISESA DHAMMA.
The Bhikkhus must be brought to the place to
approve the site ; and those Bhikkhus shall approve
a site free from danger1, and with an open space
around it 2. If a Bhikkhu shall, at his own request,
have a hut put up on a dangerous site, without the
open space around it, or shall not bring the Bhik-
khus to approve the site, or shall exceed the (due)
measure — that is a Sa^ghadisesa.
7. A Bhikkhu who is having a large 3 residence
made for his own use, and to belong (also) to others,
shall bring the Bhikkhus to the place to approve
the site ; and those Bhikkhus shall approve a site
free from danger, and with an open space around
it. If a Bhikkhu shall have a large residence made
on a dangerous site, without the open space around
it, or shall not bring the Bhikkhus to the place to
approve the site — that is a Sawghadisesa.
8. Whatsoever Bhikkhu4, in harshness, malice,
or anger, shall harass (another) Bhikkhu by a ground-
less (charge of having committed) a Para^ika offence,
thinking to himself, ' Perchance I may (thus) get him
to fall from this religious life5' — and then at some
later time, either when he is pressed, or without his
being pressed, the case turns out to be groundless,