Mahavagga, Khandaka 9, Chapter 3

1. At that time the Chabbaggiya Bhikkhus performed official acts in the following ways: they performed unlawful acts before an incomplete congregation (&c., as in chap. 2, § 1, down to:) they performed seemingly lawful acts before a complete congregation; they performed acts without a ñatti^[1] and with the proclamation (of the kammavācā^[1]) they performed acts without a proclamation (of the kammavācā) and with the ñatti; they performed acts without a ñatti and without a proclamation (of the kammavācā); they performed acts contrary to the Dhamma; they performed acts contrary to the Vinaya; they performed acts contrary to the doctrine of the Teacher; and they performed acts against which (the Bhikkhus present) protested, which were unlawful, objectionable, and invalid.

Those Bhikkhus who were moderate, were annoyed,

&c. These Bhikkhus told this thing to the Blessed One.

'Is it true, as they say, O Bhikkhus, that the Chabbaggiya Bhikkhus, &c.?'

It is true, Lord, &c.'

Having thus rebuked them and delivered a religious discourse, he thus addressed the Bhikkhus:

2. 'If an official act, O Bhikkhus, is performed unlawfully by an incomplete congregation, it is no real act and ought not to be performed (&c.^[2], down to:). If an official act, O Bhikkhus, is performed against which (the Bhikkhus present) protest, which is unlawful, objectionable, and invalid, this is no real act and ought not to be performed.

3. 'There are, O Bhikkhus, six kinds of official acts (which a Saṃgha can perform): an unlawful act, an act performed by an incomplete congregation, an act performed by a complete congregation, a seemingly lawful act performed by an incomplete congregation, a seemingly lawful act performed by a complete congregation, a lawful act performed by a complete congregation.

'And which, O Bhikkhus, is an unlawful act? If one performs, O Bhikkhus, a ñattidutiya act^[3] with one ñatti, and does not proclaim a kammavācā, such an act is unlawful. If one performs, O Bhikkhus, a ñattidutiya act with two ñatti and does not proclaim a kammavācā . . . . with one kammavācā and does not propose a ñatti . . . . with two kammavācās and does not propose a ñatti, such an act is unlawful.

4. 'If one performs, O Bhikkhus, a ñatticatuttha act with one ñatti and does not proclaim a kammavācā, such an act is unlawful. If one performs, O Bhikkhus, a ñatticatuttha act with two (. . three, . . . . four) ñattis and does not proclaim a kammavācā, such an act is unlawful. If one performs, O Bhikkhus, a ñatticatuttha act with one kammavācā ( . . . . with two, . . . . three, . . . . four kammavācās) and does not propose a ñatti, such an act is unlawful. Such acts, O Bhikkhus, are called unlawful acts.

5. 'And which, O Bhikkhus, is an act of an incomplete congregation?

'If, O Bhikkhus, at a ñattidutiya act not all Bhikkhus, as many as are entitled to vote, are present, if the chanda^[4] of those who have to declare their chanda has not been conveyed (to the assembly), and if the Bhikkhus present protest, such an act is performed by an incomplete congregation.

'If, O Bhikkhus, at a ñattidutiya act as many Bhikkhus as are entitled to vote, are present, but if the chanda of those who have to declare their chanda has not been conveyed (to the assembly), and if the Bhikkhus present protest, such an act is performed by an incomplete congregation.

'If, O Bhikkhus, at a ñattidutiya act as many Bhikkhus as are entitled to vote, are present, if the chanda of those who have to declare their chanda has been conveyed, but if the Bhikkhus present protest, such an act is performed by an incomplete congregation.

'If, O Bhikkhus, at a ñatticatuttha act, &c.^[5]

'Such acts, O Bhikkhus, are called acts performed by incomplete congregations.

6. 'And which, O Bhikkhus, is an act of a complete congregation?

'If, O Bhikkhus, at a ñattidutiya act as many Bhikkhus as are entitled to vote, are present, if the chanda of those who have to declare their chanda has been conveyed (to the assembly), and if the Bhikkhus present do not protest, such an act is performed by a complete congregation.

If, O Bhikkhus, at a ñatticatuttha act (&c., as in last section).

Such acts, O Bhikkhus, are called acts performed by complete congregations.

7. 'And which, O Bhikkhus, is a seemingly lawful act performed by an incomplete congregation?

If, O Bhikkhus, at a ñattidutiya act the kammavācā is proclaimed first and the ñatti is proposed afterwards, if not all Bhikkhus, as many as are entitled to vote, are present, &c.^[6]

8. 'And which, O Bhikkhus, is a seemingly lawful act performed by a complete congregation?

'If, O Bhikkhus, at a ñattidutiya act the kammavācā is proclaimed first and the ñatti is proposed afterwards, if as many Bhikkhus as are entitled to vote, are present, &c.^[7]

9. 'And which, O Bhikkhus, is a lawful act performed by a complete congregation?

'If, O Bhikkhus, at a ñattidutiya act the ñatti is proposed first and afterwards the act is performed with one kammavācā, if as many Bhikkhus as are entitled to vote, are present, if the chanda of those who have to declare their chanda has been conveyed (to the assembly), and if the Bhikkhus present do not protest, such an act is lawful and performed by a complete congregation.

'If, O Bhikkhus, at a ñatticatuttha act the ñatti is proposed first and afterwards the act is performed with three kammavācās, if as many Bhikkhus as are entitled to vote, &c., such an act is lawful and performed by a complete congregation.'

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See I, 28, &c.

[2]:

Here the different categories of forbidden acts are enumerated one after the other, as in § 1.

[3]:

About ñatti, kammavācā, ñattidutiya, and ñatticatuttha acts, see our note at I, 28, 3. 'Proposing a ñatti' and 'proclaiming a kammavācā' mean proposing a motion and putting a resolution to the assembled brethren.

[4]:

See II, 23.

[5]:

The identical three cases given before with regard to the ñattidutiya act are repeated here.

[6]:

The six cases given in this paragraph, of which three refer to ñattidutiya acts and three to ñatticatuttha acts, differ from those specified in § 5 only by the statement added in each of these cases regarding the inverted order of ñatti and kammavācā.

[7]:

This paragraph stands precisely in the same relation to § 6 in which the preceding one stands to § 5.