Allowance for seven days business

^Kd.3.4.3 Now at that time King Seniya Bimbisāra of Magadha, desiring to postpone the rains, sent a messenger to the monks, saying: “What if the masters could enter upon the rains at the next full-moon day?”^[1] They told this matter to the Lord. He said: “I allow you, monks, to obey kings.” ^Vin.1.139

^Kd.3.5.1 Then the Lord, having stayed at Rājagaha for as long as he found suiting, set out on tour for Sāvatthī. Walking on tour, in due course he arrived at Sāvatthī. Then the Lord stayed there in Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now at that time in the Kosala country a lay-follower, Udena,^[2] had had a dwelling-place built for an Order.^[3] He sent a messenger to monks, saying: “Let the revered sirs come; I want to give a gift and to hear dhamma and to see the monks.”

^Kd.3.5.2 Monks spoke thus: “It is laid down by the Lord, sir, that one should not set out on tour, having entered upon the rains and not having kept the first three months or the last three months. Let Udena, the lay-follower, wait until the monks have kept the rains; when they have finished the rains they will go. But if there is something urgent to be done,^[4] let him establish^[5] the dwelling-place in the presence of resident monks who are already there.^[6]”

^{Kd.3.5.3 BD.4.186} The lay-follower, Udena, … spread it about, saying: “How can these revered sirs, when sent for by me, not come, for I am a benefactor, a builder,^[7] a supporter of the Order?” Monks heard the lay-follower, Udena, as he … spread it about Then these monks told this matter to the Lord.

^Kd.3.5.4 Then the Lord on this occasion, having given reasoned talk, addressed the monks, saying: “I allow you, monks, to go if you are sent for by seven (classes of people), and if the business can be done in seven days, but not if you are not sent for: by a monk, a nun, a probationer, a novice, a woman novice, a lay-follower, a woman lay-follower. I allow you, monks, to go if you are sent for by these (seven classes of people) and if the business can be done in seven days, but not if you are not sent for. The return should be made in seven days.

^Kd.3.5.5 This is a case, monks, where a dwelling-place for an Order comes to have been built by a lay-follower. If he should send a messenger to monks, saying: ‘Let the revered sirs come, I want to give a gift and to hear dhamma and to see the monks you should go, monks’, if you are sent for and if the business can be done in seven days, but not if you are not sent for. The return should be made in seven days.

^Kd.3.5.6 “This is a case, monks, where a curved house^[8] for an Order comes to have been built by a lay-follower … a long house^[9] … a mansion^[10] … a cave^[11] … a cell^[12] … a porch … an attendance hall^[13] … a fire-hall … a hut for what is allowable^[14] … a privy … a place for pacing up and down in^[15] … a hall in the place for pacing up and down in^[16] … a well … a hall at the well … a bathroom ^Vin.1.140 … a hall in the bathroom … a lotus pond … a shed … a monastery^[17] … a site for a monastery comes to have been built by a lay-follower. If he should send a messenger to monks, saying:

^BD.4.187 ‘Let the revered sirs come, I want to give a gift and to hear dhamma and to see the monks’, you should go, monks, if you are sent for and if the business can be done in seven days, but not if you are not sent for. The return should be made in seven days.

^Kd.3.5.7 “This is a case, monks, where a dwelling-place … a curved house … a long house … a site for a monastery = Kd.3.5.6 … for several monks, … for one monk comes to have been built by a lay-follower … The return should be made in seven days.

^Kd.3.5.8 “This is a case, monks, where a dwelling-place … a site for a monastery^[18] for an Order of nuns, … for several nuns … for one nun … for several probationers … for one probationer … for several novices … for one novice … for several women novices … for one woman novice comes to have been built by a lay-follower. If he should send a messenger to monks^[19] saying: ‘Let the revered sirs come, I want to give a gift and to hear dhamma and to see the monks you should go, monks, if you are sent for and if the business can be done in seven days, but not if you are not sent for. The return should be made in seven days.

^Kd.3.5.9 “This is a case, monks, where a dwelling comes to have been built by a lay-follower for himself … a sleeping-room … a stable^[20] … a watch-tower^[21] … a quadrangular building^[22] … a shop … a hall for a shop … a long house … a mansion … a cave … a cell … a porch … an attend-ance ball … a fire hall … a kitchen^[23] … a privy … a place for pacing up and down in … a hall in the place for pacing up and down in … a well … a hall at the well … a bathroom … a hall in the bathroom … a lotus pond ^BD.4.188 … a shed … a park^[24] … a site for a park comes to have been built by a lay-follower for himself, or there comes to be his son’s marriage, or there comes to be his daughter’s marriage, or he becomes ill, or he speaks a well known discourse.^[25] If he should send a messenger to monks, saying: ‘Let the revered sirs come, they will master this discourse before this ^Vin.1.141 discourse falls into oblivion’; or if he has some business, something to be done, and should send a messenger to monks, saying: ‘Let the revered sirs come, I want to give a gift and to hear dhamma and to see the monks’, you should go, monks, if you are sent for and if the business can be done in seven days, but not if you are not sent for. The return should be made in seven days.

^Kd.3.5.10 “This is a case, monks, where a dwelling-place for an Order comes to have been built by a woman lay-follower. If she should send a messenger to monks, saying: ‘Let the revered sirs come, I want to give a gift and to hear dhamma and to see the monks’, you should go, monks, if you are sent for and if the business can be done in seven days, but not if you are not sent for. The return should be made in seven days.

^Kd.3.5.11 “This is a case, monks, where a curved house for an Order comes to have been built by a woman lay-follower … = Kd.3.5.6 … a site for a monastery comes to have been built for an Order by a woman lay-follower. If she should send a messenger … = Kd.3.5.10 … The return should be made in seven days.

^Kd.3.5.12 “This is a case, monks, where a dwelling-place … a site for a monastery for several monks … for one monk … for an Order of nuns … for several nuns … for one nun … for several probationers … for one probationer … for several novices … for one novice … for several women novices … for one woman novice comes to have been built by a woman lay-follower. If she should send a messenger … = Kd.3.5.8 … The return should be made in seven days.

“This is a case, monks, where a dwelling-place comes to have been built by a woman lay-follower for herself … ^BD.4.189 = Kd.3.5.9 … or if she comes to be ill, or if she speaks a well known discourse. If she should send a messenger to monks, saying: ‘Let the masters come, and they will master this discourse before this discourse falls into oblivion or if she has some business, something to be done, and should send a messenger to monks, saying: “Let the masters come, I want to give a gift and to hear dhamma and to see the monks you should go, monks, if you are sent for and if the business can be done in seven days, but not if you are not sent for. The return should be made in seven days.

^Kd.3.5.13 “This is a case, monks, where a dwelling-place … = Kd.3.5.8 … a site for a monastery for an Order … for several monks, … for one monk … for an Order of nuns … for several nuns … for one nun … for several probationers … for one probationer … for several novices … for one novice ^Vin.1.142 … for several women novices … for one woman novice … for him- (her-) self is built by a monk … a nun … a probationer … a novice … a woman novice. If he (she) should send a messenger to monks, saying: ‘Let the revered sirs (masters) come. I want to give a gift and to hear dhamma and to see the monks you should go, monks, if you are sent for and if the business can be done in seven days, but not if you are not sent for. The return should be made in seven days.”

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

juṇhe, explained at Vin-a.1068 as māse, month, and would therefore mean at the next period (a month later) for beginning the rains-retreat. This seems a better interpretation of juṇhe here than does the Pali-English Dictionary’s “bright fortnight of the month”. Cf. kāḷe and juṇhe below, BD.4.231.

[2]:

Heard of nowhere but here I think.

[3]:

Cf. Vin.4.287 (BD.3.302), where “a certain lay follower” did likewise and wanted to give robe-material to both the Orders.

[4]:

accāyika karaṇīya, see BD.2.151, n.6 for explanation and references.

[5]:

patiṭṭhāpetu. At Vin.4.287 there was a “festival (maha) for the dwelling-place”, but patiṭṭhāpeti probably does not imply this.

[6]:

tatth’ eva.

[7]:

kāraka, also a worker and a doer of good works.

[8]:

Cf. above, BD.4.75.

[9]:

Cf. above, BD.4.75.

[10]:

Cf. above, BD.4.75.

[11]:

Cf. above, BD.4.75.

[12]:

This occurs again at Vin.2.159 with all except the last two of the following buildings.

[13]:

upaṭṭhānasāla. See BD.2.194, n.4.

[14]:

kappiyakuṭī. Cf. same word at Vin.2.159, and see kappiyabhūmi at Vin.1.239 (below, BD.4.328.) Note that this is replaced in Kd.3.5.9 by “kitchen”.

[15]:

caṅkama, monk’s walk. See Kd.15.14.2, Kd.15.14.3.

[16]:

caṅkamanasālā.

[17]:

ārāma, translated “park” in Kd.3.5.9 below. See BD.2.2, n.2.

[18]:

Same as the edifices given in Kd.3.5.6, except for the privy, bathroom and hall in a bathroom, the two former of which nuns are not to use (Vin.2.280). Editors of Vinaya Texts i.304, n.1 say that they think the two cases referring to women novices should be excepted.

[19]:

Apparently monks had to accept gifts on behalf of the nuns.

[20]:

uddosita. See BD.2.16, n.2, BD.3.177, n.2.

[21]:

aṭṭa, see BD.2.16, n.3. Mentioned also, with the next (māla) as a “lodging” at DN-a.209.

[22]:

māla, see BD.2.16, n.4.

[23]:

rasavatī, “possessing flavours”. Very likely the word occurs nowhere but here. Vin-a.1068 calls it bhattageha, food-house, perhaps “larder”. It replaces the kappiyakuṭī, hut for what is allowable, which in Kd.3.5.6 a lay follower may build for an Order.

[24]:

ārāma, also meaning a monastery.

[25]:

suttanta.