Theravāda Vinaya
Translators: brahmali
Theravāda Collection on Monastic Law
Bhikkhunivibhaṅga
The Nuns’ Analysis
Pācittiyakaṇḍa
The chapter on offenses entailing confession
Lasuṇavagga
The subchapter on garlic
3. Talaghātakasikkhāpada
The training rule on slapping with the palm of the hand
Tena samayena buddho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
At one time when the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery,
Tena kho pana samayena dve bhikkhuniyo anabhiratiyā pīḷitā ovarakaṁ pavisitvā talaghātakaṁ karonti.
two nuns who were plagued by lust entered their room and slapped their genitals with the palms of their hands.
Bhikkhuniyo tena saddena upadhāvitvā tā bhikkhuniyo etadavocuṁ—
Hearing the sound, the nuns rushed up and asked them,
“kissa tumhe, ayye, purisena saddhiṁ sampadussathā”ti?
“Venerables, are you having sex with a man?”
“Na mayaṁ, ayye, purisena saddhiṁ sampadussāmā”ti bhikkhunīnaṁ etamatthaṁ ārocesuṁ.
“No, we’re not,” and they told them what had happened.
Yā tā bhikkhuniyo appicchā …pe… tā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—
The nuns of few desires complained and criticized them,
“kathañhi nāma bhikkhuniyo talaghātakaṁ karissantī”ti …pe…
“How can nuns slap their genitals with their hands?” …
“saccaṁ kira, bhikkhave, bhikkhuniyo talaghātakaṁ karontī”ti?
“Is it true, monks, that nuns did that?”
“Saccaṁ, bhagavā”ti.
“It’s true, Sir.”
Vigarahi buddho bhagavā …pe…
The Buddha rebuked them,
kathañhi nāma, bhikkhave, bhikkhuniyo talaghātakaṁ karissanti.
“How could nuns do that?
Netaṁ, bhikkhave, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya …pe…
This will affect people’s confidence …” …
evañca pana, bhikkhave, bhikkhuniyo imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddisantu—
“And, monks, the nuns should recite this training rule like this:
“Talaghātake pācittiyan”ti.
‘If a nun slaps her genitals with the palm of her hand, she commits an offense entailing confession.’”
Talaghātakaṁ nāma
Slaps her genitals with the palm of her hand:
samphassaṁ sādiyantī antamaso uppalapattenapi muttakaraṇe pahāraṁ deti, āpatti pācittiyassa.
if, consenting to the contact, she hits her genitals, even with a lotus leaf, she commits an offense entailing confession.
Anāpatti—
There is no offense:
ābādhapaccayā,
if she does it because she is sick;
ummattikāya,
if she is insane;
ādikammikāyāti.
if she is the first offender.
Tatiyasikkhāpadaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ.
The third training rule is finished.