Monks’ Expulsion (Pārājika) 4: Case rulings

Upajjhā, a short form of upajjhāya, found in Vin.1.94; Vin.3.35; at Vin.4.326 upajjhā is feminine.

Vippaṭisārī: “strongly remembering something against (oneself), so generally ‘remorse,’” thus GS.iii.125, n.2 (on AN.iii.165 = Pp.64). Cf. Vin.2.249 = AN.iii.197 for the refrain: “there’s no need for remorse in thee,” which is the result of being exhorted on five scores on which no remorse ought to be set up. See GS.iii.145. The word is also sometimes translated “regret, repentance.” Although I have translated kukkuccaṃ hoti as “was remorseful” and although kukkucca and vippaṭisārī are often found together, I keep “remorseful” also for vippaṭisārī, for “regret” seems not forceful enough, and “repentance” is now by Westerners associated with “repenting of a sin”—an idea foreign to Buddhism. Vippaṭisārī comes near to “bad conscience,” which is also remembering something against oneself. Words for conscience are sadly lacking in Pali, but this may be an attempt to express the idea of it, emerging in the sixth century B.C.

These two on feeling, if that means physical pain, seem to be included in the next, “on giving in.” Or, and this is more likely and was suggested by Oldenberg, Vin.3.272, “two stories appear to be wanting”, i.e those correspnding to ārādhanāya and vedanāya.

Ubho.

Tavade.

Añña.

Paṇidhāya, gerund of paṇidahati. Vin-a.502, patthanaṃ katvā, making a wish, cf. Ja.i.68. For paṇidhāya, cf. AN.iii.249 = AN.iv.461, translated in Gradual Sayings as “set on gaining.” SN-a.i.99 on SN.i.42 explains paṇidhāya by ṭhapetvā, establishing.

Vin-a.502, “May people esteem me living in the jungle as being at the stage of arahanship, or of a learner, then I will become revered by the world, venerated, respected, worshipped.

Vatthabbaṃ, from √vas, to live, to dwell.

According to Vin-a.503 he said, “I am an arahan,” but as he did this not (really) believing it in his mind (na manasā cintitaṃ), it was a dukkaṭa offence.

Note the way a fellow-monk uses āvuso in addressing a monk, while a non-monk, lay people, and, as here, a devatā, use bhante, honoured sir.

I.e., the lay-follower’s.

= below, BD.1.180.

Anullapanādhippāyassa. Vin-a.502 says, kohaññe icchācāre aṭhatvā, not wanting to have his needs filled by hypocrisy (or deceit). Critical Pali Dictionary gives, “not intending to show off, to impose,” under anulla°.

Vin-a.503, “it is not difficult for a virtuous man, who has set insight going to declare profound knowledge, he is competent to attain arahanship.” But this monk did not reckon himself in this category.

Vippaṭisārī, cf. above, BD.1.171, n.3. Vin-a.504, “let the monk in whom remorse arises be afraid, but I am not remorseful, the moral precepts are completely pure, why then should I be afraid of death?”

Sammā payuttena.

As above, BD.1.176.

Yuttayoga. This word also occurs at Ja.i.65 and is translated “devout” (Buddhist Birth Stories, second edition, p.178). Yuñjati (of which yutta is past participle) occurs at Ja.iv.131, Ja.v.369, with ghaṭati vāyamati, all meaning to strive, to endeavour. Yoga (yogya) has sense of “fit for.”

Vin-a.504, surrounding him.

āyantu, from ā + √ī and meaning āgacchantu. Vin-a.504, “Whoever said this would also have said: ‘Prepare seats for all the arahans, give water for washing the feet, let the arahans wash their feet.’ ”

Pasādabhaññe. Apart from the meaning of this very rare word, it is noteworthy that it is in the locative, instead of, as is usually the case after āpatti and anāpatti, in the genitive. Vin-a.504 says, “The meaning being: instigated (samussāhitassa) through his own power of faith, being one who goes by faith.” Cf. for bhaññā (for which Pali-English Dictionary refers to bhā) Ja.v.317, Ja.v.318. The former of these passages reads bhaññaṃ with variant readings haṃñam, bhuñjaṃ, and the latter explains by saying bhā tiratanass’ etaṃ nāmaṃ. But I think that here bhañña derives from √bhāṣ, to speak, and not from √bhās, to shine. At AN.ii.31; SN.iii.72; M, iii.78 we find Ukkalā vassa-bhaññā. KS.iii.63 translates vassa-bhaññā as “preachers in retreat”—i.e., during vassa, the rains. But SN-a.ii.279 says vasso ca Bhañño ca, and evidently means that these are names of people in certain districts, like Ukkala-janapada-vāsino; while MN-a.iv.136 declares this to be the case: Vasso ca Bhañño cā ti dve janā. Cf. Points of Controversy 95, n.2. I do not, however, think that the pasāda-bhaññe of Vinaya above can refer to the Bhañña people.

Vin-a.505, āvaṭā ti āvāritā nivāritā paṭikkhittā ti attho. Had they in truth been rejected he would have been an arahan. Before they attained this supreme state, monks were not indifferent to the beauties of nature, as for example some of the Theragāthā show.

On abhirati and abhiramati see above, BD.1.114.

Vin-a.505, “the monk says, ‘Because there is no lack of exposition and questionings on the teaching, and because I enjoy this state of things, I say I am enjoying myself with the highest enjoyment.’ ”

= above, BD.1.175.

SN.ii.254–262 from here to end of Bu-Pj.4.9.3 below.

Vin-a.506 = SN-a.ii.216, “He from among a thousand Jaṭilas (matted hair ascetics) received the ‘Come, monk’ for upasampadā ordination. He attained arahanship at the end of the Discourse on Burning. He should be called one great disciple (eko mahā-sāvako). Inasmuch as he is endowed with this mark and is possessed of a Brahma-like existence, he is called Lakkhaṇa. Mahā-Moggallāna, the second great disciple, attained arahanship on the seventh day after he had gone forth into homelessness.” This mention of Moggallāna as second to Lakkhaṇa is curious, for in the Suttas he is only ever linked with Sāriputta. See Vin.1.33ff. for the story of the conversion of the Jaṭilas.

Vehāsagata, or going above ground, cf. above, BD.1.79, n.7.

Vin-a.507 calls these yakkha vultures, yakkha crows and yakkha hawks, probably meaning that these birds eat flesh. Cf. the predatory yakkhas, above, BD.1.146.

Vitudenti. Vin-a.507 reads vituddhenti tī vinivijjhitvā gacchanti vitudantī ti (variant reading vitudentī ti) vā pāṭho. SN.ii.255 reads vitacchenti vibhajenti, as in the cases below, with variant reading vitudenti for vitacchenti and omitting vibhajenti.

Pāsuḷa, with variant reading pāsula; SN.ii.255 reads phāsuḷa.

Attabhāvapaṭilābha.

Omitted at SN.ii.255.

Cakkhubhūta, bhūta being past participle of bhavati. At AN.v.226 the tathāgata is called cakkhubhūto ñāṇabhūto (as above) and dhamma-bhūto brahmabhūto, translated at GS.v.157 “he has become the eye, he has become knowledge,” etc. Vin-a.508 says, cakkhubhūtaṃ jataṃ uppannaṃ tesan ti cakkhubhūtā, bhūtacakkhukā uppannacakkhukā. Cakkhuṃ uppadetva viharanti dutiyapade pi es’ eva nayo. AN-a on AN.v.226) (Siamese edition) says, cakkhubhūto ti cakkhu viya bhūto nibbatto. Ñāṇabhuto ti ñāṇasabhāvo. (AN-a also explains bhūta in dhamma° and brahma° by sabhāva.)

Vin-a.508, “at the time of his passing from the Pit (naraka) his outward appearance was a mass of bones … he has arisen as a departed one (peta) who is a skeleton.” Of his deeds, tassa kammassa explained Tassa nānācetanāhi āyūhi tassa aparāpariyakammassa.

paccitvā, passive of pacati. Paccati is literally to be boiled or cooked, Pali-English Dictionary saying, “Nearly always applied to the torture of boiling in niraya, where it is meant literally.” But I think that the idea (found in the active) of ripening and maturing for the next rebirth is also intended. The context brings out this point. One was not condemned to eternal damnation. Vin-a.508 also emphasises this by saying that through what remained of the result of his deeds after his reinstatement (paṭisandhi) in naraka, he took on reinstatement again-among the petas. I have translated paccitvā literally, since for lack of an English word to express the idea of being boiled to a ripeness which entails a change, it seems to me preferable to “has been punished” (KS.ii.170), as this conveys the idea still less of the past deeds maturing until the individual is ready for a new rebirth.

Omitted at SN.ii.256.

Cf. MN.i.364, where the simile is possibly taken from this Vinaya passage. MN.i.364 reads, vitaccheyyuṃ virajeyyuṃ, translated Further Dialogues of the Buddha i.261, “to tear and rend it.” Virajenti is a variant reading for vibhajenti at both Vin.3.105 above and SN.ii.256, and it would not seem unintelligible in these contexts.

Vin-a.509, “at the time of his passing from the Pit (naraka) his outward appearance was a piece of flesh, therefore he arose as a departed one who is a piece of flesh.”

orabbhika, Vin-a.509, eḷake vidhitvā, having skinned them during his life, afterwards his appearance was that of a skinless ram’s body, and therefore he has arisen as a departed one who is flayed (nicchavipeto).

He killed the pigs with swords, thus his outward appearance is the state of having drawn swords, thus he has arisen as a departed one who has swords for hair.

His outward appearance is a state of being struck with knives, because he killed the deer with knives.

Kāraṇika, but judge at KS.ii.171, which has note “cruel to criminals.” According to the Commentaries “a man causing death, shooting with arrows,” kaṇḍena vijjhitva. Hence possibly the confusion, Pali-English Dictionary, referring only to SN.ii.257, and saying, “usu°, however, used simply in the sense of making: arrow-maker, fletcher.”

sārathi. SN.ii.257 reads, sūcako here as in the next example. Translator at KS.ii.172 suggests sūto for sūcako. Both words, according to Pali-English Dictionary, mean charioteer or coachman, but Vin-a.509 and SN-a.ii.220 (under sūto, with note that title in text sūci-sārathi) speak of horse-tamer, cow-tamer.

kumbhaṇḍa. Note word-play on aṇḍa. Vin-a.510 = SN-a.ii.220 says, kumbhamattā mahāghaṭappamāṇā aṇḍā ahesuṃ, while Ja.iii.147 defines as kumbhamattarahassaṅgā mahodarā yakkhā. Our Commentaries say that as he had made others suffer by his secret wrong-doing, so now he suffers in his secret organs. At DN-a.i.73 a kumbhaṇḍa is placed on the back of a horse as a sign of instability. Kumbhaṇḍī at Vism.183, in connection with latā, creeper, translated “pumpkin.” This is evidently the secondary meaning of the word.

Inasmuch as she got her pleasures with other men, not with her own husband, she is reborn flayed so as to undergo a painful contact, being deprived of pleasant touch. Vin-a.510.

Vin-a.511, deceiving the people by taking gifts of flowers and perfumes from them, saying, “now there will be increase for you.”

upakkaṃ okiliniṃ okiriniṃ. Buddhaghosa at Vin-a.511 says, “she fell on to a heap of coals … therefore, she is shrivelled by the agonising fires, okilinī, and her body inflamed, drop upon drop oozing from her body, okiriṇī, and surrounded by charcoal; from below the charcoal was on both sides of her, like the red flowers of the kiṃsuka tree; the charcoal fell from the air on her.”

She was a dancer who had pleased the King by massaging him.

Vin-a.512, for a long time he had beheaded thieves at the king’s command. Therefore he was reborn headless.

Quoted at MN-a.i.91, and said to refer to the monk Kapila. Vin-a mentions no names.

He went about enjoying himself to his heart’s content, therefore he was boiled in hell for an interval between Buddhas, and then arising in a peta-world he arose with an existence like a monk.

Feminine in Table of Contents, above, BD.1.172.

Omitted at SN.ii.261.

Tapoda means “boiling waters.” Vin-a.512, says, “they say that the town of Rajagaha is near the world of the departed, and this Tapoda comes there between the two great red pits of the hells.” Cf. below, BD.1.274, n.6. At AN.v.196 Ānanda and the wanderer Kokanuda went to this river to bathe their limbs.

Mentioned also at SN.i.153; AN.ii.29, AN.ii 176, Sappinī; at AN.i.185, Sappinikā; cf. also Vinaya Texts i.254, n.2. Usually translated the “Snake River.” The wanderers had a park on its banks. It was near Rājagaha.

Vin-a.513, “plunging down into the deep water, and bathing and drinking there, and taking up water with their trunks, they mingle together and cross over.”

parisuddha. Vin-a.513f. “They say that the thera attained arahanship on the seventh day after he went forth, and had mastery in the eight attainments, but not having purified himself well in the obstructions to contemplation … and rising up from musing and hearing the sound of the elephants, he heard it between the attainments. Of this he was aware.”

AN.i.25 says, that he is the chief of the monks remembering his former rebirths. In his verses, Thag.165, Thag.166, he twice repeats that he remembered five hundred kalpas in a single night. At Atthasālinī 32 he is said to be the third in the line of theras who conveyed the Abhidhamma up to the time of the Third Council.

Vinaya Texts i.5, n.2, says that the phrase yathā pure tathā pacchā “probably means that the monk is irrevocably defeated. He must remain for ever in the condition (of permanent exclusion from the Order) into which he has brought himself.” Vin-a.516 says, “as in his time as a householder, at the time when he was not (yet) ordained, and as after when he has fallen into defeat, he is not in communion; there is not for him communion with the monks at the Uposatha (observance-day), the pavaraṇā (ceremony at the end of the rains), under the rule of the Pātimokkha, or at the legal acts of the Order.”

Chejjavatthu. See chejja (√ched) above, BD.1.75, meaning maiming.