Vinaya Pitaka (3): Khandhaka
by I. B. Horner | 2014 | 386,194 words | ISBN-13: 9781921842160
The English translation of the Khandhaka: the second book of the Pali Vinaya Pitaka, one of the three major ‘baskets’ of Therevada canonical literature. It is a collection of various narratives. The English translation of the Vinaya-pitaka (third part, khandhaka) contains many Pali original words, but transliterated using a system similar to the I...
The story of a killer of a perfected one
Kd.1.66.1 Now at that time several monks were going along the highroad from Sāketa to Sāvatthī. Thieves, having issued forth on the road, robbed some monks and killed other monks. Those in the royal service, having set out from Sāvatthī, caught some thieves (but) other thieves ran away. Those who ran away went forth among the monks; those who were caught were led off to execution.
Kd.1.66.2 Those who had gone forth saw those thieves being led off to execution; seeing them, they spoke thus: “It is well that we ran away, for had we been caught then should we have BD.4.113 been killed likewise.” Vin.1.89 Monks spoke thus: “But what have you done, your reverences?” Then those who had gone forth told this matter to the monks. The monks told this matter to the Lord. He said:
“Monks, those monks were perfected ones. Monks, if a murderer of a perfected one is not ordained, he should not be ordained; if he is ordained, he should be expelled.”