Vinaya Pitaka (1): Bhikkhu-vibhanga (the analysis of Monks鈥� rules)
by I. B. Horner | 2014 | 345,334 words | ISBN-13: 9781921842160
The English translation of the Bhikkhu-vibhanga: the first part of the Suttavibhanga, which itself is the first book of the Pali Vinaya Pitaka, one of the three major 鈥榖askets鈥� of Therevada canonical literature. It is a collection of rules for Buddhist monks. The English translation of the Vinaya-pitaka (first part, bhikkhu-vibhanga) contains many...
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Monks鈥� Expiation (P膩cittiya) 11
Bu-Pc.11.1.1 BD.2.226 鈥� at 膧岣穉v墨 in the chief shrine at 膧岣穉v墨. Now at that time the monks of 膧岣穉v墨, making repairs, were cutting down trees and having them cut down; and a certain monk of 膧岣穉v墨 cut down a tree, and the 诲别惫补迟腻 living in that tree said to this monk:
鈥淒o not, honoured sir, desiring to make an abode for yourself, cut down my abode.鈥�
This monk, taking no notice, cut it down, and in doing so, struck the arm of that 诲别惫补迟腻鈥檚 son. Then it occurred to that 诲别惫补迟腻:
鈥淲hat now if I, just here, should deprive this monk of life?鈥� Then it occurred to that 诲别惫补迟腻:
鈥淏ut this would not be suiting in me, that I were, just here, to deprive this monk of life. What now if I were to tell this matter to the lord?鈥�
Then this 诲别惫补迟腻 approached the lord, and having approached she told this matter to the lord.
鈥淰ery good, 诲别惫补迟腻, it is good that you, 诲别惫补迟腻, did not deprive this monk of life. If today you, 诲别惫补迟腻, had deprived this monk of life, you, 诲别惫补迟腻, would also have produced much demerit. You go, 诲别惫补迟腻; in a certain place there is a solitary tree, go you into it.鈥�
People looked down upon, criticised, spread it about, saying:
鈥淗ow can these recluses, sons of the Sakyans, cut down trees and have them cut down? These recluses, sons of the Sakyans, are harming life that is one-facultied.鈥�[1] Monks heard these people who looked down upon, criticised, spread it about. Those who were modest monks looked down upon, criticised, spread it about, saying:
BD.2.227 鈥淗ow can these monks of 膧岣穉v墨 cut down trees and have them cut down?鈥� 鈥�
鈥淚s it true, as is said, that you, monks, cut down trees and had them cut down?鈥�
鈥淚t is true, lord,鈥� they said.
The enlightened one, the lord, rebuked them, saying:
鈥淗ow can you, foolish men, cut down trees and have them cut down? It is not, foolish men, for pleasing those who are not (yet) pleased 鈥� And thus, monks, this rule of training should be set forth:
鈥�For destruction of vegetable growth[2] there is an offence of expiation.鈥�
Bu-Pc.11.2.1 Vegetable growth means: there are five kinds of propagation: (what is) propagated from roots, propagated from stems,[3] propagated from joints, propagated from cuttings,[4] and fifthly (what is) propagated from seeds.[5] Vin.4.35
Propagated from roots[6] means: turmeric, ginger, orris root, white orris root, garlic,[7] black hellebore, khus- BD.2.228 khus,[8] nut-grass,[9] or whatever others are born from a root, arise from a root; this means propagated from roots.
Propagated from stems means: the fig-tree,[10] the banyan-tree, (a kind of) fig-tree,[11] (another kind of) fig-tree,[12] the Indian cedar wood,[13] the wood-apple,[14] or whatever others are born from a stem, arise from a stem; this means propagated from stems.
Propagated from joints means: sugar-cane, bamboo, reeds or whatever others are born from a knot, arise from a knot[15]; this means propagated from joints.
Propagated from cuttings means: basil,[16] camel- BD.2.229 grass,[17] a kind of andropogon,[18] or whatever others are born from a cutting, arise from a cutting; this means propagated from cuttings.
Propagated from seeds means: grain, pulses,[19] or whatever others are born from a seed, arise from a seed; this means propagated from seeds.
Bu-Pc.11.2.2 If he thinks that it is a seed when it is a seed (and) cuts it or has it cut or breaks it or has it broken or cooks it or has it cooked, there is an offence of expiation. If he is in doubt as to whether it is a seed (and) cuts it 鈥� or has it cooked, there is an offence of wrong-doing. If he thinks that it is not a seed when it is a seed (and) cuts it 鈥� or has it cooked, there is no offence. If he thinks that it is a seed when it is not a seed, there is an offence of wrong-doing. If he is in doubt as to whether it is not a seed, there is an offence of wrong-doing. If he thinks that it is not a seed when it is not a seed, there is no offence.
Bu-Pc.11.2.3 There is no offence if he speaks, saying: 鈥淔ind this, give this, convey this, this is wanted, make this allowable鈥�; if it was unintentional, if (he was) not thinking, if he did not know; if he is mad, if he is the first wrong-doer.[20]
The First
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
产丑奴迟补驳腻尘补; translation taken from , To Become or Not to Become, p.118. Vin-a.761 says g膩mo ti r膩si, and that standing green grass and trees is a synonym for 产丑奴迟补驳腻尘补. Dialogues of the Buddha 1.6 has 鈥済rowing plants鈥� for this word. This rule is referred to at Dhp-a.3.302; Snp-a.3. At Mil.266 the destruction of 产丑奴迟补驳腻尘补 is said to be no sin in the eyes of the world, but a sin in the teaching of the Jina (an epithet for both Gotama and the Jain, Mah膩v墨ra). Cf. MN.i.180 = MN.iii.34.
[3]:
办丑补苍诲丑补产墨箩补.
[4]:
补驳驳补产墨箩补. Dialogues of the Buddha 1.6: 鈥減ropagated from buddings,鈥� with note that 鈥渋t may mean 鈥榞raftings鈥� if the art of grafting was then known in the Ganges valley.鈥� But the plants mentioned could not be propagated by buddings, which, moreover, does not seem to be a recognised botanical term. These plants are propagated by cuttings.
[5]:
For this list, cf. DN.i.5, DN.iii.44, DN.iii.47 (= Dialogues of the Buddha 3.40, Dialogues of the Buddha 3.42, 鈥渢hings grown from tubers, or shoots, or berries, or joints, or fifthly from seeds鈥�), SN.iii.54 (= KS.iii.46, 鈥渞oot-seed, trunk-seed, seed from shoots, seed from joints, grain-seed, making five in all鈥�); cf. DN-a.77, SN-a.ii.272.
[6]:
Cf. DN-a.81 to end of Bu-Pc.11.1.1 below.
[7]:
补迟颈惫颈蝉腻, or dried ginger; an antidote to poison.
[8]:
耻蝉墨谤补, probably Andropogon muricatum. Cf. below, BD.2.240, where one of the four kinds of stools or settees (koccha) is made of 耻蝉墨谤补. At Vin.2.130 one of the three kinds of fans allowed is made of 耻蝉墨谤补. In some parts of the East the roots are woven into sweet-smelling mats and baskets and are used in making perfume.
[9]:
bhaddamuttaka, probably Cyperus rotundus. Has underground edible tubers. See Vin.1.201, where these roots (or tubers) are allowed medicinally for flavouring foods which otherwise would be too unpalatable, for ill monks to take. Decoction of these roots used today in Ceylon as medicine for fever and stomach complaints.
[10]:
This list is the same as that at SN.v.96.
[11]:
pilakkha, probably Ficus infectoria. 鈥淲ave-leafed,鈥� as at KS.v.80, is not a sufficient differentiation and is not the botanical name of any of the vast family of figs.
[12]:
udumbara, probably Ficus glomerata; of bunchy habit.
[13]:
Or Toon tree, kacchaka. Cedar suggested at KS.v.80. Pali-English Dictionary gives Cedrela Toona; Path of Purity ii.210 (= Vism.183), 鈥渂lack fig.鈥�
[14]:
办补辫颈峁环补苍补. Variant readings are 办补辫颈峁弓丑补办补, kapitthana, kapittana. Pali-English Dictionary says that it is the tree Thespesia populneoides, as does under 办补辫墨迟补苍辞. KS.v.80 and Path of Purity ii.210, both reading 办补辫颈峁弓丑补办补, render by 鈥渨ood-apple.鈥� The Dictionaries, placing 鈥渨ood-apple鈥� under kapi峁弓ha, kapittha, call it Feronia elephantum. There is, however, no family connection between Thespesia populneoides and Feronia elephantum. The former has a hard, dry, inedible fruit; the latter an edible fruit with a hard woody shell filled with a soft pulp, also used for medicinal purposes. Neither is a fig-tree (as tentatively suggested at KS.v.80), but Feronia is more like a fig, and would be meant if we were certain that the context was suggesting a tree with an edible fruit.
[15]:
pabba, joint, knot or section. Word hitherto translated as 鈥渏oint鈥� is 辫丑补岣穟.
[16]:
ajjuka. Pali-English Dictionary and Critical Pali Dictionary give Ocimum gratissimum. Probably the ordinary basil, Ocimum basilicum, is meant, as O. gratissimum is sometimes used as a synonym for this.
[17]:
phanijjaka= 产丑奴迟补苍补办补, Ja.6.536. calls it the plant 蝉补尘墨谤补峁嘺, which, according to , is the plant maruvaka. (I cannot discover what is meant by this.) Pali-English Dictionary calls 产丑奴迟补苍补办补, Andropogon schoenanthus. Camel-grass yields aromatic oil, mostly used for medicinal purposes.
[18]:
hirivela, occurring also at Ja.6.537. Pali-English Dictionary suggests as above. gives 丑谤墨惫别濒补, a kind of perfume = 丑谤墨惫别谤补, a kind of drug and perfume (= 产腻濒补, 产腻濒补ka). Under 产腻濒补 he gives 鈥渁 kind of perfume or fragrant grass, Andropogon schoenanthus.鈥� also gives 丑颈谤颈惫别谤补峁�, a perfume, Andropogon schoenanthus.
[19]:
Cf. BD.1.83, n.3.
[20]:
Cf. above, end of Bu-Pc.10; also below, BD.2.262, and Vin.4.125. Vin-a.766 says that the clauses 鈥淔ind this,鈥� etc., refer to medicines made from roots, to roots and leaves, to trees or creepers, to flowers and fruits, and to trees or creepers or fruits respectively. Vin-a.767 refers to an 补苍耻箩腻苍腻尘颈 at Vin.2.109, in which monks are allowed to eat fruit that has become allowable to recluses in five ways.