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...
On the higher penalty
Kd.21.1.12 Then the venerable Ānanda spoke thus to the monks who were elders: “Honoured sirs, the Lord, at the time of attaining nibbāna, spoke thus to me: ‘Well now, Ānanda, after I am gone, let the Order enjoin the higher penalty[1] for the monk Channa.’[2]
“But did you, reverend Ānanda, ask the Lord: ‘But what, Lord, is the higher penalty?’”
“I, honoured sirs, did ask the Lord: ‘But what, Lord, is the higher penalty?’ He said, ‘Ānanda, Channa may say whatever he likes to monks, but the monk Channa must neither be spoken to, nor exhorted nor instructed by monks’.”[3]
“Well then, reverend Ānanda, do you yourself enjoin the higher penalty on the monk Channa.”
“But how can I, honoured sirs, enjoin the higher penalty on the monk Channa? That monk is fierce and rough.”
“Well then, reverend Ānanda, go along together with many monks.”
“Very well, honoured sirs,” and the venerable Ānanda, having answered these monks in assent, having, together with a large Order of monks, with at least five hundred monks, disembarked at Kosambī from a boat going upstream,[4] sat BD.5.403 down at the root of a certain tree not far from King Udena’s[5] pleasure grove.
Kd.21.1.13 Now at that time King Udena was amusing himself in his pleasure grove together with his concubines. Then King Udena’s concubines heard:[6] “It is said that our teacher, master Ānanda, is sitting at the root of a certain tree not far from the pleasure grove.” Then King Udena’s concubines spoke thus to King Udena: “Sire, they say that our teacher … not far from the pleasure grove. We, sire, want to see master Ānanda.”
“Well then, do you see the recluse Ānanda.” Then King Udena’s concubines approached the venerable Ānanda; having approached, having greeted the venerable Ānanda, they sat down at a respectful distance. The venerable Ānanda gladdened, rejoiced, roused, delighted King Udena’s concubines with talk on dhamma as they were sitting down at a respectful distance. Vin.2.291 Then King Udena’s concubines, gladdened … delighted by the venerable Ānanda with talk on dhamma, bestowed five hundred inner robes on the venerable Ānanda. Then King Udena’s concubines, pleased with the venerable Ānanda’s words, having thanked him, rising from their seats, having greeted the venerable Ānanda, having kept their right sides towards him, approached King Udena.
Kd.21.1.14 King Udena saw the concubines coming in the distance; seeing them he spoke thus to the concubines: “Did you see the recluse Ānanda?”
“We, sire, did see master Ānanda.”
“But did not you give anything to the recluse Ānanda?”
“We gave, sire, five hundred inner robes to master Ānanda.”
King Udena looked down upon, criticised, spread it about, saying: “How can this recluse Ānanda accept so many robes? Will the recluse Ānanda set up trade in woven cloth or will he offer (them) for sale in a shop?”[7] Then King Udena approached the venerable Ānanda; having approached, he exchanged greetings with the venerable Ānanda; having exchanged greetings of friendliness and courtesy, he sat down at a BD.5.404 respectful distance. As he was sitting down at a respectful distance, King Udena spoke thus to the venerable Ānanda:
“Did not our concubines come here, good[8] Ānanda?”
“Your concubines did come here, your majesty.”
“Did they not give anything to the honourable[9] Ānanda?”
“They gave me five hundred inner robes, your majesty.”
“But what can you, honourable[10] Ānanda, do with so many robes?”
“I will share them, your majesty, with those monks whose robes are worn thin.”
“But what will you do, good Ānanda, with those old robes that are worn thin?”
“We will make them into upper coverings,[11] your majesty.”
“But what will you do, good Ānanda, with those upper coverings that are old?”
“We will make these into mattress coverings, your majesty.”
“But what will you do, good Ānanda, with those mattress coverings that are old?”
“We will make them into ground coverings, your majesty.”
“But what will you do, good Ānanda, with those ground coverings that are old?”
“We will make them into foot-wipers, your majesty.”
“But what will you do, good Ānanda, with those foot-wipers that are old?”
“We will make them into dusters, your majesty.”
“But what will you do, good Ānanda, with those dusters that are old?”
“Having torn them into shreds, your majesty, having kneaded them with mud, we will smear a plaster-flooring.”
Then King Udena, thinking: Vin.2.292 “These recluses, sons of the Sakyans, use everything in an orderly way and do not let things go to waste,”[12] bestowed even another five hundred woven cloths on the venerable Ānanda. Therefore this was the first time that a thousand robes had accrued to the venerable Ānanda as an alms of robes.
Kd.21.1.15 BD.5.405 Then the venerable Ānanda approached Ghosita’s monastery; having approached, he sat down on an appointed seat. Then the venerable Channa approached the venerable Ānanda; having approached, having greeted the venerable Ānanda, he sat down at a respectful distance. The venerable Ānanda spoke thus to the venerable Channa as he was sitting down at a respectful distance: “The higher penalty has been enjoined on you, reverend Channa, by the Order.”
“But what, honoured Ānanda, is the higher penalty?”
“You, reverend Channa, may say what you please to the monks, but you must neither be spoken to nor exhorted nor instructed by the monks.”
Saying: “Am I not, honoured Ānanda, destroyed because I may be neither spoken to nor exhorted nor instructed by the monks?” he fell down fainting at that very place. Then the venerable Channa, being troubled about the higher penalty, being ashamed of it, loathing it,[13] dwelling alone, aloof, zealous, ardent, self-resolute, having soon realised here and now by his own super-knowledge that supreme goal of the Brahma-faring for the sake of which young men of family rightly go forth from home into homelessness, entering on it, abided in it and he understood: “Destroyed is (individual) birth, lived is the Brahma-faring, done is what was to be done, now there is no more of being this or that.” And so the venerable Channa became another of the perfected ones. Then the venerable Channa, having attained perfection, approached the venerable Ānanda; having approached he spoke thus to the venerable Ānanda: “Honoured Ānanda, now revoke the higher penalty for me.”
“From the moment that you, reverend Channa, realised perfection, from that moment the higher penalty was revoked for you.”
Kd.21.1.16 Now because five hundred monks—not one more, not one less—were at this chanting of the discipline, this chanting of the discipline is in consequence called ‘that of the Five Hundred’.[14]
Told is the Eleventh Section: that on the Five Hundred.
BD.5.406 In this Section are twenty-three items. This is its key:
When the Self-enlightened One had attained nibbāna the elder called Kassapa
addressed a group of monks on preserving what is true dhamma, /
On the high-road from Pāvā, what was declared by Subhadda, Vin.2.293
we will chant true dhamma, before what is not-dhamma shines forth, /
And he selected Ānanda also for the one in the five hundred less one
spending the rains[15] in chanting dhamma and discipline in the best of resorts. /
He asked Upāli about discipline, the wise Ānanda about the Suttantas:
disciples of the Conqueror chanted the three Piṭakas. /
The lesser and minor, various, in conformity with and according to what was laid down,
he did not ask, having stepped on, he caused to honour, and he did not request, /
the going forth of women: out of faith they are offences of wrong-doing for me.
Purāṇa, and the higher penalty, the concubines with Udena, /
So many, and worn thin, upper coverings, mattresses,
ground coverings, foot-wipers, dusters, kneading with mud,
a thousand robes accrued for the first time to the one called Ānanda. /
Threatened with the higher penalty he attained the fourfold truth.
The five hundred having mastered:
therefore it is called (the Chanting) of the Five Hundred.
Vin.2.294
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
brahmadaṇḍa.
[2]:
As at DN.ii.154. See BD.2.230, BD.2.257, BD.2.393, BD.3.36 for further references to Channa’s misdoings. It is not clear whether this penalty was imposed because he had taken the nun’s part in a dispute with monks, or because he had repeatedly reviled Sāriputta and Moggallāna, as appears from Dhp-a.ii.110–Dhp-a.ii.112, where also other details are to be found. Cf. also Thag-a.i.166.
[3]:
Cf. AN.ii.113 where it is said that this is destruction, vadha, in the ariyan discipline: when a monk is to be neither spoken to, exhorted nor instructed by the Truth-finder or by his fellow Brahma-farers.
[5]:
King of Kosambī.
[6]:
Cf. Kd.21.1.13–Kd.21.1.14 with Ja.ii.23–Ja.ii.24 where Ānanda receives another thousand robes.
[7]:
paggāhikasālaṃ pasāressati. Cf. Kd.20.10.4, āpaṇaṃ pasārenti.
[8]:
bho.
[9]:
bhoto.
[10]:
bhavaṃ.
[11]:
uttarattharaṇa.
[12]:
sabbeva yoniso upanenti na kulāvaṃ gamenti. Vin-a.1297 says the meaning of na kulāvaṃ gamenti is na koṭṭhake gopenti, they do not keep them in a storeroom.
[13]:
As at Vin.1.86f.
[15]:
Text: vassanto, Sinhalese and Siamese: vasanto.