1. Now at that time the Khabbaggiya Bhikkhus thinking, 'No one knows that we are guilty' listened to the Pâtimokkha. The Thera Bhikkhus, who understood the thoughts of other men, told the Bhikkhus, saying, 'Such and such a one, Sirs, and such and such a one, Khabbaggiya Bhikkhus, thinking, "No one knows that we are guilty," are listening to the Pâtimokkha.'
When the Khabbaggiya Bhikkhus heard that, they, thinking 'the good Bhikkhus will (otherwise) first interdict the Pâtimokkha to us,' interdicted the Pâtimokkha to the Bhikkhus who were pure and innocent before (they had time to do so to them), and this without ground and without cause.
Those Bhikkhus who were moderate murmured, &c (as usual, down to) told the matter to the Blessed One.
'Is it true, O Bhikkhus, that the Khabbaggiya Bhikkhus have [acted thus]?'
'It is true, Lord!'
Then he rebuked them, and when he had delivered a religious discourse, he said: 'The Pâtimokkha is not, O Bhikkhus, to be interdicted to pure and innocent Bhikkhus without ground and without cause. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkata.
2. 'There is one kind of inhibition of the Pâtimokkha, O Bhikkhus, which is illegal, and one
'And which are the four kinds, &c.? [as the last, adding "offence against the right mode of livelihood."] 'And which are the five kinds of inhibition of the Pâtimokkha which are illegal? When one inhibits the Pâtimokkha for a Pârâgika, or for a Samghâdisesa, or for a Pâkittiya, or for a Pâtidesanîya, or for a Dukkata, and each of them without ground. These are the five kinds, &c. 'And which are the five kinds of inhibition of the 'And which are the six kinds of inhibition of the Pâtimokkha which are illegal? When one inhibits the Pâtimokkha for an offence against morality . . . . conduct . . . . doctrine 1 . . . . without ground, the offence being one of omission--when one inhibits the Pâtimokkha for an offence against morality . . . . conduct . . . . doctrine . . . . without ground, the offence being one of commission 2. These are the six, &c. 'And which are the six kinds of inhibition of the Pâtimokkha which are legal? [Same as the last, "with good ground."] 'And which are the seven kinds of inhibition of the Pâtimokkha which are illegal? When one inhibits the Pâtimokkha for a Pârâgika, or for a Samghâdisesa, or for a Thullakkaya, or for a Pâkittiya, or for a Pâtidesanîya, or for a Dukkata, or for a Dubbhâsita, and each of them without ground. These are the seven kinds, &c. 'And which are the seven kinds of inhibition of the Pâtimokkha which are legal? [Same as the last, "with good ground."] 'And which are the eight kinds of inhibition of the Pâtimokkha which are illegal? [The same as the six, adding "offence against the right means of livelihood."]
'And which are the ten kinds of inhibition of the Pâtimokkha which are illegal? When (a Bhikkhu) who has been guilty of a Pârâgika is not seated in that assembly 1,--when no discussion is still going on (in the assembly) as to a Pârâgika offence (supposed to have been committed by a Bhikkhu then present),--when (a Bhikkhu) who has abandoned the precepts 2 is not seated in that assembly,--when no discussion is still going on (in the assembly) in respect of (a Bhikkhu then present having been charged with) abandoning the precepts,--when (the person charged) submits himself to the legally prescribed concord (of the assembly) 3,--when (the person charged) does not withdraw his acceptance of the legally prescribed concord (of the assembly) 4,--when no discussion is still going on (in the assembly) in respect of the withdrawal of (any member's) acceptance of the legally (prescribed) concord (of the assembly),--when (the Bhikkhu charged) has not been suspected of an offence against morality, nor seen (to have committed one), nor heard (to have committed one)--. . . . of an offence against conduct--. . . . of an
'(In either of these cases), O Bhikkhus, if he seem to do so, the Bhikkhu may, on the ground of what he has seen and heard and suspected, bring forward the following resolution on an Uposatha day, on the fourteenth or fifteenth day of the month, at a time when that individual is present in the midst of the Samgha: "Let the venerable Samgha hear me. Such and such an individual has been guilty of a Pârâgika offence. I interdict for him the Pâtimokkha, to the effect that the Pâtimokkha ought not to be recited at a time when he is present." That is a legal inhibition of the Pâtimokkha. 'If, when the Pâtimokkha his been inhibited for 5. 'And how (can it be legally said that a Bhikkhu) who has abandoned the precepts is seated in the assembly?' [The same as last, reading 'abandoned the precepts,' &c., for 'Pârâgika offence,' &c.] 6. 'And how (can it be legally said that the person
Here ends the First Portion for Recitation. 309:1 The paragraph is repeated in the section full for each of these cases. 309:2 Kata . . . . akatâ . . . . katâkatâ we have rendered here and below as offence of omission--of commission--of both, as seems imperatively demanded by the context. Buddhaghosa, however, says, Akatâya ti tena puggalena sâ vipatti katâ vâ hotu akatâ vâ pâtimokkha-thapanakassa saññâ amûlika-vasena amûlikâ hoti. Katâkatâyâ ti katañ ka akatañ ka ubhayam gahetvâ vuttam. 310:1 This and the following phrase are further enlarged upon in 6 4 and the following sections. 310:2 See our note on Mahâvagga II, 22, 3. 310:3 See Mahâvagga X, 5, 13, &c. 310:4 Pakkâdîyati. Buddhaghosa says here, pakkâdîyatî ti puna kâtabbam kammam pakkâdîyati. Tena ukkotanake pâkittiyam âpaggati. 312:1 See the rule laid down in Mahâvagga II, 15, 4.
Footnotes
