Mahavagga, Khandaka 9, Chapter 6

1. And the venerable Upāli^[1] went to the place where the Blessed One was. Having approached him and respectfully saluted the Blessed One, he sat down near him. Sitting near him the venerable Upāli said to the Blessed One: 'Lord, if a complete congregation performs an act at which the presence (of the accused Bhikkhu) is required, in his absence—is this act, Lord, performed lawfully according to Dhamma and Vinaya?'

'It is performed, Upāli, unlawfully against Dhamma and Vinaya.'

2. 'Lord, if a complete congregation performs an act at which (the accused Bhikkhu) ought to be called upon for an answer, without calling upon him for an answer—if it performs an act at which the confession (of the culprit) is required, without his confession—if it grants to a Bhikkhu to whom sativinaya^[2] ought to be granted, an amūḷhavinaya^[3]—if it proceeds against a Bhikkhu to whom amūḷhavinaya ought to be granted, with the tassapāpiyyasikākamma^[4]—if it proceeds against a Bhikkhu against whom the tassapāpiyyasikākamma ought to be instituted, with the tajjaniyakamma^[5]—if it proceeds against a Bhikkhu against whom the tajjaniyakamma ought to be instituted, with the nissayakamma—if it proceeds against a Bhikkhu against whom the nissayakamma ought to be instituted, with the pabbājaniyakamma—if it proceeds against a Bhikkhu against whom the pabbājaniyakamma ought to be instituted, with the paṭisāraṇiyakamma—if it proceeds against a Bhikkhu against whom the paṭisāraṇiyakamma ought to be instituted, with the ukkhepaniyakamma—if it sentences a Bhikkhu against whom the ukkhepaniyakamma ought to be instituted, to parivāsa^[6]—if it sentences a Bhikkhu who ought to be sentenced to parivāsa, to mūlāya paṭikassanā—if it sentences a Bhikkhu who ought to be sentenced to mūlāya paṭikassanā, to mānatta—if it grants to a Bhikkhu who ought to be sentenced to mānatta, the decree of abbhāna—if it confers on a Bhikkhu to whom abbhāna ought to be granted, the upasampadā ordination,—is this act, Lord, performed lawfully according to Dhamma and Vinaya?'

3. 'It is performed, Upāli, unlawfully against Dhamma and Vinaya. If a complete congregation, Upāli, performs an act at which the presence (of the accused Bhikkhu) is required, in his absence (&c., down to:) confers on a Bhikkhu to whom abbhāna ought to be granted, the upasampadā ordination,—in such case, Upāli, this act is performed unlawfully against Dhamma and Vinaya, and in such case this Saṃgha trespasses against the law.'

4. 'Lord, if a complete congregation performs an act at which the presence (of the accused Bhikkhu) is required, in his presence (&c., down to:) confers on a person, on whom the upasampadā ordination ought to be conferred, the upasampadā ordination,—is this act, Lord, performed lawfully according to Dhamma and Vinaya?'

It is performed, Upāli, lawfully according to Dhamma and Vinaya. If a complete congregation performs an act (&c., down to:) the upasampadā ordination,—in such case, Upāli, this act is performed lawfully according to Dhamma and Vinaya, and in such case this Saṃgha does not trespass against the law.'

5. 'Lord, if a complete congregation grants to a Bhikkhu to whom sativinaya ought to be granted, an amūḷhavinaya, and to a Bhikkhu to whom amūḷhavinaya ought to be granted, a sativinaya (&c.^[7], down to:) confers on a Bhikkhu to whom abbhāna. ought to be granted, the upasampadā ordination, and grants to a person on whom the upasampadā ordination ought to be conferred, the decree of abbhāna,—is this act, Lord, performed lawfully according to Dhamma and Vinaya?'

6. 'It is performed, Upāli, unlawfully against Dhamma and Vinaya. If a complete congregation grants to a Bhikkhu, &c.,—in such case, Upāli, this act is performed unlawfully against Dhamma and Vinaya, and in such case this Saṃgha trespasses against the law.'

7. 'Lord, if a complete congregation grants sativinaya to a Bhikkhu to whom sativinaya ought to be granted, and amūḷhavinaya to a Bhikkhu to whom amūḷhavinaya ought to be granted (&c.^[8], down to:) grants abbhāna to a Bhikkhu to whom abbhāna ought to be granted, and confers the upasampadā ordination on a person on whom the upasampadā ordination ought to be conferred,—is this act, Lord, performed lawfully according to Dhamma and Vinaya?'

8. 'It is performed, Upāli, lawfully according to Dhamma and Vinaya (&c., down to:) and in such case this Saṃgha does not trespass against the law.'

9. And the Blessed One thus addressed the Bhikkhus: 'If a complete congregation, O Bhikkhus, grants to a Bhikkhu to whom sativinaya ought to be granted, an amūḷhavinaya, in such case, O Bhikkhus, this act is performed unlawfully against Dhamma and Vinaya, and in such case this Saṃgha trespasses against the law. If a complete congregation, O Bhikkhus, institutes against a Bhikkhu to whom sativinaya ought to be granted, the tassapāpiyyasikākamma (&c.^[9], down to:) grants to a person on whom the upasampadā ordination ought to be conferred, the decree of abbhāna,—in such case, O Bhikkhus, this act is performed unlawfully against Dhamma and Vinaya, and in such case this Saṃgha trespasses against the law.'

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End of the second Bhāṇavāra, which contains the questions of Upāli.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

That the redactors of this Piṭaka have chosen Upāli here and at X, 6, Cullavagga II, 2, 7, to question the Blessed One about the Vinaya regulations, stands evidently in connection with the tradition ascribing to Upāli an especial authority regarding the rules of the Order and styling him, as is said in the Dīpavaṃsa (IV, 3, 5; V, 7,. 9), agganikkhittaka, i.e. original depositary, of the Vinaya tradition. See our Introduction, p. xii seq.

[2]:

See Cullavagga IV, 4, 10.

[3]:

See Cullavagga IV, 5.

[4]:

See Cullavagga IV, 11.

[5]:

This Saṃghakamma and the following ones are explained in Cullavagga I, 1 seq.

[6]:

For this term and the next ones, see Cullavagga III, 1-9.

[7]:

The Saṃghakammas enumerated in § 2, beginning with sativinaya, are arranged here in pairs, in direct and reverse order, in this way: sativinaya and amūḷhavinaya, amūḷhavinaya and sativinaya; then amūḷhavinaya and tassapāpiyyasikākamma, tassapāpiyyasikākamma and amūḷhavinaya, &c.

[8]:

The same dyads as in § 5.

[9]:

In this paragraph all possible combinations of two different Saṃghakammas are formed in this way: first, sativinaya is combined with amūḷhavinaya and all the rest, down to upasampadā; then amūḷhavinaya with all terms from tassapāpiyyasikā down to sativinaya, and so on; the whole series ends thus with the combinations of upasampadāraha with all terms from sativinaya down to abbhāna.