Cullavagga, Khandaka 6, Chapter 17

1. Now when the Blessed One had remained at the Kiṭā Hill as long as he thought fit, he proceeded on his journey towards Āḷavī; and in due course he arrived at Āḷavī, and there, at Āḷavī, the Blessed One stayed at the Aggāḷava Shrine.

Now at that time the Bhikkhus of Āḷavī^[1] used to give new building operations in charge (to one or other of their number)^[2], such as the following^[3] when some clay or earth had merely to be put aside in heaps, when a wall had merely to be re-plastered, when a door had merely to be made, when the socket for a bolt had merely to be made, when some joinery-work had merely to be done to a window, when some whitewashing merely had to be done, or some black colouring laid on, or some red colouring^[4], or some roofing-work, or some joinery, or a bar had to be fixed to a door^[5], when breaches or decay had merely to be repaired^[6], or the flooring to be re-plastered^[7]; and they assigned this office to one another for terms of twenty or thirty years, or for life; or they gave in charge a completely finished Vihāra to a Bhikkhu for such time as should elapse till the smoke rose (from the funeral pyre on which his body should be burnt^[8]).

The moderate Bhikkhus murmured, &c. (as usual, down to) The Blessed One said to the Bhikkhus:

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to confer the office of building overseer when clay has merely to be put aside in heaps . . . . (&c., as before, down to) body shall be burnt. Whosoever shall so confer it, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa. I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to give a Vihāra not yet begun, or not yet finished^[9], in charge as a new building. And with reference to the work on a small Vihāra, it may be given in charge as a navakamma for a period of five or six years, that on an Aḍḍhayoga for a period of seven or eight years, that on a large Vihāra or a Pāsāda for ten or twelve years.'

2. Now at that time the Bhikkhus gave the whole of a Vihāra as a navakamma (to one Bhikkhu to superintend)—or two Vihāras to one Bhikkhu—or the Bhikkhu who had taken the work in charge got another (Bhikkhu to live there and take charge for him)—or the Bhikkhu who had taken in charge a building belonging to the Saṃgha kept exclusive possession of it—or the Bhikkhus gave work in charge to one not at that time within the boundary^[10]—or Bhikkhus who had once taken charge kept exclusive possession for all time.

They told [each of] these matters to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to do [any one of these things]. Whosoever does, he is guilty of a dukkaṭa. And the Bhikkhu in charge may take one good sleeping-place into his exclusive possession for the three months of the rainy, but not during the dry season.'

3. Now at that time Bhikkhus who had taken charge of building operations left the place [or otherwise became incompetent in one or other of the twenty and three ways set out in the next paragraph^[11]].

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'In case that occurs, O Bhikkhus, as soon as he has taken charge, or before the building has been completed, let the office be given to another lest there should be loss to the Saṃgha. In case the building has been completed, O Bhikkhus, if he then leaves the place, it (the office and its privileges) is still his—if he then returns to the world, or dies, or admits that he is a sāmaṇera, or that he has abandoned the precepts, or that he has become guilty of an extreme offence, the Saṃgha becomes the owner^[12]—if he then admits that he is mad, or that his mind is unhinged, or that he is afflicted with bodily pain, or that he has been suspended for his refusal to acknowledge an offence, or to atone for an offence, or to renounce a sinful doctrine, it (the office and its privileges) is still his—if he then admits that he is a eunuch, or that he has furtively attached himself to the Saṃgha, or that he has gone over to the Titthiyas, or that he is an animal, or that he has murdered his mother, or his father, or an Arahat, or that he has violated a Bhikkhunī, or that he has caused a schism in the Saṃgha, or that he has shed (a Buddha's) blood, or that he is an hermaphrodite, then the Saṃgha becomes the owner.'

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The Bhikkhus of Āḷavī are frequently mentioned in connection with offences in relation to the navakammaṃ. See, for instance, Pārājika III, 5, 30.

[2]:

For the rule authorising such giving in charge in general cases, see above, VI, 5.

[3]:

For most of the following technical terms in building, see our notes above on Cullavagga V, 11, and V, 1, 2.

[4]:

See our note on this phrase above, V, 11, 6.

[5]:

Gaṇḍikadhāna-mattenā ti dvāra-bāhānaṃ upari-kapoṭa-gaṇḍika-yojana-mattena (B.). Gaṇḍi is used in this sense at Jātaka I, 237. Compare the use of Dhamma-gaṇḍikā, 'block of execution,' at Jātaka I, 150, II, 124. The word gaṇḍikā occurs also at Jātaka I, 474 (last line), in the sense of 'bunch:' but it is there probably a misprint; for Oldenberg, in the parallel passage at Bhikkhunī-vibhaṅga, Pācittiya I, 1, reads bhaṇḍike. That the two words are easily confused in Burmese writing is shown by the fact that the Berlin (Burmese) copy of Buddhaghosa reads here also bhaṇḍikādhāna-mattenā ti, &c., and again afterwards bhaṇḍika.

[6]:

See our note on this phrase above, VI, 5, 2.

[7]:

Paribhaṇḍa-karaṇa-mattenā ti gomaya-paribhaṇḍa-kasāva-parikaraṇa-mattena (B.). The very same expression is used in a wholly doubtful sense, and of some process of tailoring, in. Mahāvagga VII, 1, 5.

[8]:

Dhūmakālikan ti idaṃ yāv’ assa citaka-dhūmo na paññāyatīti tāva ayaṃ vihāro etass’ evā ti evaṃ dhūma-kāle apaloketvā kata-pariyositaṃ vihāraṃ denti (B.). The word recurs below, applied to sikkhāpadaṃ, in XI, 1, 9.

[9]:

Vīppakatan ti ettha vippakato nāma yāva gopānasiyo na ārohanti. Gopānasīsu pana āruḷhāsu bahukato nāma hoti: tasmā tato paṭṭhāya na dātabbo (B.). The use of bahukato is noteworthy. for in the only other passage where we have found the word (Mahāvagga VI, 36, 2), it has a totally different application. There is possibly a misreading in the one MS. available. (? pakato.)

[10]:

See above, VI, 11, 3.

[11]:

See Mahāvagga II, 22, 3, and II, 36, 1-3. In the latter of these two passages the three cases are omitted. In Mahāvagga IX, 4, 2, and 8, the whole 23 are given.

[12]:

That is, the navakammiko loses his privileges (his lien on the best sleeping-place, &c.).