Theravāda Collection on Monastic Law

The Nuns’ Analysis

The chapter on offenses entailing confession

The subchapter on monasteries

The training rule on abusing monks

Origin story

At one time when the Buddha was staying in the hall with the peaked roof in the Great Wood near Vesālī,

Venerable Upāli’s preceptor, Venerable Kappita, was staying in a charnel ground.

At that time the leader of the nuns from the group of six had just died.

They took her to that charnel ground, cremated her near Venerable Kappita’s dwelling, and made a stupa. They then went there to cry.

Venerable Kappita was disturbed by the noise, and so he demolished the stupa and scattered the rubble.

The nuns from the group of six thought,

“Kappita has demolished our Venerable’s stupa; let’s kill him,” and they laid a plan.

A certain nun told Venerable Upāli what was happening,

and he in turn told Venerable Kappita.

Venerable Kappita then left his dwelling and went into hiding.

Soon afterwards the nuns from the group of six went to his dwelling

and crushed it with rocks and lumps of earth. When they thought he was dead, they left.

The following morning Venerable Kappita robed up, took his bowl and robe, and entered Vesālī for almsfood.

When the nuns from the group of six saw him,

they said,

“Kappita is alive! Who spoiled our plan?”

When they heard

it was Venerable Upāli,

they abused him,

“How could this barber, this dirt remover of inferior caste, spoil our plan?”

The nuns of few desires complained and criticized them,

“How could the nuns from the group of six abuse Venerable Upāli?” …

“Is it true, monks, that those nuns did this?”

“It’s true, Sir.”

The Buddha rebuked them …

“How could the nuns from the group of six do this?

This will affect people’s confidence …” …

“And, monks, the nuns should recite this training rule like this:

Final ruling

‘If a nun abuses or reviles a monk, she commits an offense entailing confession.’”

Definitions

A:

whoever …

Nun:

… The nun who has been given the full ordination in unanimity by both Sanghas through a legal procedure consisting of one motion and three announcements that is irreversible and fit to stand—this sort of nun is meant in this case.

A monk:

one who is fully ordained.

Abuses:

if she abuses with the ten kinds of abuse or with any one of them, she commits an offense entailing confession.

Reviles:

if she induces fear, she commits an offense entailing confession.

Permutations

If he is fully ordained, and she perceives him as such, and she abuses or reviles him, she commits an offense entailing confession.

If he is fully ordained, but she is unsure of it, and she abuses or reviles him, she commits an offense entailing confession.

If he is fully ordained, but she does not perceive him as such, and she abuses or reviles him, she commits an offense entailing confession.

If she abuses or reviles someone who is not fully ordained, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If he is not fully ordained, but she perceives him as such, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If he is not fully ordained, but she is unsure of it, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If he is not fully ordained, and she does not perceive him as such, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.

Non-offenses

There is no offense:

if she is aiming at something beneficial;

if she is aiming at giving a teaching;

if she is aiming at giving an instruction;

if she is insane;

if she is the first offender.

The second training rule is finished.