Theravāda Collection on Monastic Law

The Great Analysis

The chapter on offenses entailing confession

The subchapter on precious things

83. The training rule on royal compounds

Origin story

At one time when the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery,

King Pasenadi of Kosala told his park-keeper, “Go and clean up the park; I’ll be going there.”

“Yes, sir.” While cleaning the park, he saw the Buddha seated at the foot of a tree.

He then went to King Pasenadi and said, “The park is clean, sir, but the Buddha is sitting there.”

“Marvelous! I’ll visit him.”

The king went to the park and approached the Buddha, but just then a lay follower was seated there.

When the king saw him, he became fearful and stopped.

But he considered, “This man isn’t likely to be bad, since he’s visiting the Buddha,” and so he approached the Buddha, bowed, and sat down.

But when that lay follower, because of his respect for the Buddha, neither bowed down to the king nor stood up for him, the king became annoyed.

The Buddha realized what was happening and said to the king, “Great king, this lay follower is learned, a master of the tradition, and he’s free from sensual desire.”

The king thought, “This lay follower doesn’t deserve to be in an inferior position, since even the Buddha praises him.”

And he said to that lay follower, “Please say what you want.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The Buddha then instructed, inspired, and gladdened King Pasenadi with a teaching, after which the king got up from his seat, bowed down, circumambulated the Buddha with his right side toward him, and left.

Soon afterwards King Pasenadi was up in his finest stilt house, when he saw that lay follower walking along the street, holding a sunshade.

He summoned him and said, “You are a learned Buddhist, a master of the tradition.

Please teach my harem.”

“Whatever I know, sir, I know because of the monks. They should teach the harem.”

Knowing that the lay follower was right, the king went to the Buddha, bowed, sat down, and said,

“Sir, please ask a monk to teach my harem.”

The Buddha then instructed, inspired, and gladdened King Pasenadi with a teaching, after which the king got up from his seat, paid his respects as before, and left.

Soon afterwards, the Buddha said to Venerable Ānanda, “Well then, Ānanda, teach the king’s harem.”

“Yes, sir.” And from time to time he would enter the harem and teach.

Then, after robing up in the morning, Ānanda took his bowl and robe and went to King Pasenadi’s house.

On that occasion the king was in bed with Queen Mallikā.

The queen saw Ānanda coming and she quickly got up, but her burnished golden dressing gown fell off.

Ānanda turned around right there and returned to the monastery. And he told the monks what had happened.

The monks of few desires complained and criticized him,

“How could Venerable Ānanda enter the royal compound without first being announced?” …

“Is it true, Ānanda, that you did this?”

“It’s true, sir.”

The Buddha rebuked him …

“Ānanda, how could you do this?

This will affect people’s confidence …” …

Having rebuked him …

the Buddha gave a teaching and addressed the monks:

“Monks, there are these ten dangers of entering a royal compound.

What ten?

It may be that a monk enters where the king is sitting with his queen.

The queen smiles when she sees the monk

or the monk smiles when he sees the queen.

The king thinks,

‘Surely they’ve done it, or they’re going to.’

Again, because the king is very busy,

he does not remember having slept with a certain woman,

yet she becomes pregnant because of that.

The king thinks,

‘Only the monk enters here.

Is he responsible for this?’

Again, a gem disappears from the royal compound.

The king thinks,

‘Only the monk enters here.

Is he responsible for this?’

Again, secret discussions in the royal compound are spread outside.

The king thinks,

‘Only the monk enters here.

Is he responsible for this?’

Again, in the royal compound a father longs for his son, or a son longs for his father.

They think,

‘Only the monk enters here.

Is he responsible for this?’

Again, the king promotes someone.

Those who dislike this think,

‘The king is close to the monk.

Is he responsible for this?’

Again, the king demotes someone.

Those who dislike this think,

‘The king is close to the monk.

Is he responsible for this?’

Again, the king sends out the army at an inappropriate time.

Those who dislike this think,

‘The king is close to the monk.

Is he responsible for this?’

Again, after sending out the army at an appropriate time, the king orders it to turn back while still en route.

Those who dislike this think,

‘The king is close to the monk.

Is he responsible for this?’

Again, a royal compound is crowded with elephants, horses, and chariots, as well as enticing sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles that are not suitable for a monk.

Monks, these are the ten dangers of entering a royal compound.”

Then, after rebuking Ānanda in many ways, the Buddha spoke in dispraise of being difficult to support …

“And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:

Final ruling

‘If a monk, without first being announced, crosses the threshold to the bedroom of a consecrated aristocrat king, when both the king and the queen are present, he commits an offense entailing confession.’”

Definitions

A:

whoever …

Monk:

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

Aristocrat:

well-born on both his mother’s side and his father’s side, pure in descent, irreproachable and impeccable with respect to birth going back eight generations of male ancestors.

Consecrated:

consecrated with the aristocratic consecration.

The king is present:

the king has not left the bedroom.

The queen is present:

the queen has not left the bedroom. Or both have not left.

Without first being announced:

without first having informed.

The threshold:

the threshold to the bedroom is what is meant.

The bedroom:

wherever a king’s bed is prepared, even if just enclosed by a cloth screen.

Crosses the threshold to the bedroom:

if he crosses the threshold with the first foot, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If he crosses with the second foot, he commits an offense entailing confession.

Permutations

If he has not been announced, and he perceives that he has not, and he crosses the threshold to the bedroom, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If he has not been announced, but he is unsure of it, and he crosses the threshold to the bedroom, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If he has not been announced, but he perceives that he has, and he crosses the threshold to the bedroom, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If he has been announced, but he perceives that he has not, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If he has been announced, but he is unsure of it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If he has been announced, and he perceives that he has, there is no offense.

Non-offenses

There is no offense:

if he has been announced;

if it is not an aristocrat king;

if the king has not been consecrated with the aristocratic consecration;

if the king has left the bedroom;

if the queen has left the bedroom;

if they both have left;

if it is not a bedroom;

if he is insane;

if he is the first offender.

The training rule on royal compounds, the first, is finished.