Mahavagga, Khandaka 9, Chapter 4

1. 'There are five kinds of Saṃghas: the Bhikkhu Saṃgha consisting of four persons, the Bhikkhu Saṃgha consisting of five persons . . . . of ten persons . . . . of twenty persons . . . . of more than twenty persons.

'In case, O Bhikkhus, the Bhikkhu Saṃgha consist of four persons, and acts lawfully, and is complete, it is entitled to perform all official acts except three acts, that is, the upasampadā ordination, pavāraṇā, and abbhāna^[1].

'In case, O Bhikkhus, the Bhikkhu Saṃgha consist of five persons, and acts lawfully, and is complete, it is entitled to perform all official acts except two acts, that is, the upasampadā ordination in the central countries^[2] and abbhāna.

'In case, O Bhikkhus, the Bhikkhu Saṃgha consist of ten persons, and acts lawfully, and is complete, it is entitled to perform all official acts except one, namely, abbhāna.

'In case, O Bhikkhus, the Bhikkhu Saṃgha consist of twenty persons, and acts lawfully, and is complete, it is entitled to perform all official acts.

'In case, O Bhikkhus, the Bhikkhu Saṃgha consist of more than twenty persons, and acts lawfully, and is complete, it is entitled to perform all official acts.

2. 'An official act, O Bhikkhus, which requires the presence of four persons, if performed by a congregation in which a Bhikkhunī is the fourth, is no real act, and ought not to be performed. An official act, O Bhikkhus, which requires the presence of four persons, if performed by a congregation in which a sikkhamānā is the fourth, . . . . in which a sāmaṇera, &c.^[3], is the fourth, . . . . in which a person belonging to another communion is the fourth, . . . . in which a person staying within a different boundary^[4] is the fourth, . . . . in which a person poised in the air by supernatural power is the fourth, . . . . in which a person against whom the Saṃgha institutes a proceeding is the fourth—is no real act and ought not to be performed.'

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End of the regulations about acts performed by four persons.

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3-5. 'An official act, O Bhikkhus, which requires the presence of five (. . . . ten, . . . . twenty) persons, if performed by a congregation in which a Bhikkhunī, &c.^[5], is the fifth ( . . . . tenth, . . . . twentieth), is no real act and ought not to be performed.'

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End of the regulations about acts performed by five, (ten, twenty) persons.

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6. 'If, O Bhikkhus, a congregation in which a person sentenced to the parivāsa discipline^[6] is the fourth, institutes the proceedings of parivāsa, of mūlāya paṭikassanā, and of mānatta, or if a congregation in which such a person is the twentieth, confers abbhāna, this is no real act and ought not to be performed.

'If, O Bhikkhus, a congregation in which a person that ought to be sentenced to mūlāya paṭikassanā . . . . that ought to be sentenced to mānatta . . . . that is subject to the mānatta discipline . . . . on whom the abbhāna sentence ought to be conferred^[7], institutes the proceedings of parivāsa, of mūlāya paṭikassanā, and of mānatta, or if a congregation in which such a person is the twentieth, confers abbhāna, this is no real act and ought not to be performed.

7. 'Of some persons, O Bhikkhus, the protest^[8] raised in the assembly is effectual, of some persons it is ineffectual.

'And which are the persons, O Bhikkhus, whose protest raised in the assembly is ineffectual?

'The protest, O Bhikkhus, raised in the assembly by a Bhikkhunī is ineffectual. The protest, O Bhikkhus, raised in the assembly by a sikkhamānā (&c.^[9], down to:) by a person against whom the Saṃgha institutes a proceeding, is ineffectual. These are the persons, O Bhikkhus, whose protest raised in the assembly is ineffectual.

8. 'And which are the persons, O Bhikkhus, whose protest raised in the assembly is effectual?

'The protest, O Bhikkhus, of a Bhikkhu who is healthy (in mind), who belongs to the same communion^[10], who stays within the same boundary^[11], even if he have committed a sin which brings about immediate punishment in hell,—if he give notice of his protest at the meeting,—is effectual. This is the person, O Bhikkhus, whose protest raised in the assembly is effectual.

9. 'There are, O Bhikkhus, two cases of expulsion^[12] (pronounced against, a person). If expulsion, O Bhikkhus, had not been pronounced (before) against a person, and the Saṃgha pronounces expulsion against him, there are some against whom such expulsion has been pronounced duly, and others against whom it has been pronounced unduly.

'And which is a person, O Bhikkhus, against whom, if expulsion had not been pronounced before, and the Saṃgha pronounces expulsion against him, expulsion has been pronounced unduly? In case, O Bhikkhus, there be a pure, guiltless Bhikkhu,—if the Saṃgha pronounces expulsion against him, expulsion has been pronounced unduly. This, O Bhikkhus, is called a person against whom, if expulsion had not been pronounced before, and the Saṃgha pronounces expulsion against him, expulsion has been pronounced unduly.

'And which is a person, O Bhikkhus, against whom, &c., expulsion has been pronounced duly? In case, O Bhikkhus, there be an ignorant, unlearned Bhikkhu, a constant offender, who is unable to discern what is an offence^[13], who lives in lay society, unduly associating himself with lay people,—if the Saṃgha pronounces expulsion against him, expulsion has been pronounced duly. This, O Bhikkhus, is called a person, &c.

10. 'There are, O Bhikkhus, two cases of restoration (of an expelled Bhikkhu). If restoration, O Bhikkhus, had not been granted before to a person, and the Saṃgha grants restoration to him, there are some to whom such restoration will have been granted duly, and others to whom it will have been unduly granted.

'And which is a person, O Bhikkhus, to whom, &c., restoration has been granted unduly? A eunuch, O Bhikkhus, to whom restoration had not been granted before, and whom the Saṃgha restores, has been restored unduly. A person who has furtively attached himself (to the Saṃgha), &c.^[14], to whom restoration had not been granted before, and whom the Saṃgha restores, has been restored unduly.

'This, O Bhikkhus, is called a person to whom, &c., restoration has been granted unduly. These, O Bhikkhus, are called persons to whom, &c., restoration has been granted duly.

11. 'And which is a person, O Bhikkhus, to whom, &c., restoration has been granted duly?' &c.^[15]

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End of the first Bhāṇavāra, called the Vāsabha-gāma Bhāṇavāra.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See Cullavagga III, 2 seq.

[2]:

As regards the exceptional regulations referring to the upasampadā ordination in the bordering countries, see above, V, 13, 12.

[3]:

Here follows the very frequent enumeration given, for instance, at II, 36, §§ 1-4.

[4]:

Generally speaking, the two categories of 'persons belonging to another communion,' and 'persons staying within another boundary,' can be considered as coincident. In certain cases, however, they could be distinguished; see X, 1, §§ 9, 10.

[5]:

Here the enumeration of § 2 is repeated.

[6]:

See about parivāsa, and the other Saṃghakammas referred to in this paragraph, the details given in the second book of the Cullavagga.

[7]:

But has not yet been conferred. An abbhita Bhikkhu is considered as fully rehabilitated.

[8]:

Against official acts which the Saṃgha is performing.

[9]:

This list of persons who cannot protest against official acts of the Saṃgha differs from that given in § 2 or at II, 36, §§ 1-4, only by three categories being here added after 'a person guilty of an extreme offence' (antimavatthuṃ ajjhāpannaka). These categories are the following: 'a madman,' 'a person whose mind is unhinged,' 'a person who suffers (bodily) pain.' See II, 22, 3, &c,

[10]:

That is, the Saṃgha which is going to perform the act in question.

[11]:

See the note at § 2.

[12]:

Compare the rules regarding the pabbājaniyakamma, Cullavagga I, 13 seq., and our note at I, 79, 1.

[13]:

Anapadāna. Buddhaghosa: 'Anapadāno ’ti apaṭāna-(read apadāna-) virahito. apadānaṃ vuccati paricchedo. āpatti-pariccheda-virahito ’ti attho.' Probably the word must not be derived from the root dā, 'to give,' but from dā, 'to cut.'

[14]:

See the list of persons given at II, 36, 3.

[15]:

The formality and the repetitions are the same here as in § 20, and need not be repeated. The list of persons whose restoration is stated to be valid is the same as at I, 71, 1.