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1. Ussayavādikāsikkhāpada

The training rule on taking legal action

Ime kho panāyyāyo sattarasa saṅghādisesā dhammā uddesaṁ āgacchanti.
Venerables, these seventeen rules on suspension come up for recitation.

Tena samayena buddho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

Tena kho pana samayena aññataro upāsako bhikkhunisaṅghassa udositaṁ datvā kālaṅkato hoti.
At that time a lay follower who had given a storehouse to the Sangha of nuns had died.

Tassa dve puttā honti—
He had two sons,

eko assaddho appasanno, eko saddho pasanno.
one with and one without faith and confidence,

Te pettikaṁ sāpateyyaṁ vibhajiṁsu.
and they divided their father’s property between them.

Atha kho so assaddho appasanno taṁ saddhaṁ pasannaṁ etadavoca—
Then the one without faith said to the other,

“amhākaṁ udosito, taṁ bhājemā”ti.
“The storehouse is ours; let’s allocate it to one of us.”

Evaṁ vutte, so saddho pasanno taṁ assaddhaṁ appasannaṁ etadavoca—
But the one with faith responded,

“māyyo, evaṁ avaca.
“No,

Amhākaṁ pitunā bhikkhunisaṅghassa dinno”ti.
our father gave it to the Sangha of nuns.”

Dutiyampi kho so assaddho appasanno taṁ saddhaṁ pasannaṁ etadavoca—
A second time they both said the same thing,

“amhākaṁ udosito, taṁ bhājemā”ti.

Atha kho so saddho pasanno taṁ assaddhaṁ appasannaṁ etadavoca—

“māyyo, evaṁ avaca.

Amhākaṁ pitunā bhikkhunisaṅghassa dinno”ti.

Tatiyampi kho so assaddho appasanno taṁ saddhaṁ pasannaṁ etadavoca—
and a third time the one without faith repeated his proposal.

“amhākaṁ udosito, taṁ bhājemā”ti.

Atha kho so saddho pasanno—
The one with faith then thought,

“sace mayhaṁ bhavissati, ahampi bhikkhunisaṅghassa dassāmī”ti—
“If I get it, I too would give it to the Sangha of nuns,”

taṁ assaddhaṁ appasannaṁ etadavoca—
and he said,

“bhājemā”ti.
“Alright, let’s allocate it.”

Atha kho so udosito tehi bhājīyamāno tassa assaddhassa appasannassa pāpuṇāti.
But when they allocated it, it fell to the one without faith.

Atha kho so assaddho appasanno bhikkhuniyo upasaṅkamitvā etadavoca—
He then went to the nuns and said,

“nikkhamathāyye, amhākaṁ udosito”ti.
“Please leave, Venerables, this storehouse is mine.”

Evaṁ vutte thullanandā bhikkhunī taṁ purisaṁ etadavoca—
The nun Thullanandā said to him,

“māyyo, evaṁ avaca, tumhākaṁ pitunā bhikkhunisaṅghassa dinno”ti.
“No, your father gave it to the Sangha of nuns.”

“Dinno na dinno”ti vohārike mahāmatte pucchiṁsu.
Because they were unable to agree, they asked judges to decide on the matter.

Mahāmattā evamāhaṁsu—
They said,

“ko, ayye, jānāti bhikkhunisaṅghassa dinno”ti?
“Venerable, who knows that it was given to the Sangha of nuns?”

Evaṁ vutte, thullanandā bhikkhunī te mahāmatte etadavoca—
Thullanandā replied,

“api nāyyā tumhehi diṭṭhaṁ vā sutaṁ vā sakkhiṁ ṭhapayitvā dānaṁ diyyamānan”ti?
“But Sirs, didn’t you appoint a witness who saw or heard the giving of the gift?”

Atha kho te mahāmattā—
Saying,

“saccaṁ kho ayyā āhā”ti taṁ udositaṁ bhikkhunisaṅghassa akaṁsu.
“It’s true what the Venerable says,” the judges made the storehouse the property of the Sangha of nuns.

Atha kho so puriso parājito ujjhāyati khiyyati vipāceti—
The defeated man complained and criticized the nuns,

“assamaṇiyo imā muṇḍā bandhakiniyo.
“They’re not monastics these shaven-headed sluts.

Kathañhi nāma amhākaṁ udositaṁ acchindāpessantī”ti.
How could they take my storehouse?”

Thullanandā bhikkhunī mahāmattānaṁ etamatthaṁ ārocesi.
Thullanandā told the judges of this

Mahāmattā taṁ purisaṁ daṇḍāpesuṁ.
and they punished him.

Atha kho so puriso daṇḍito bhikkhunupassayassa avidūre ājīvakaseyyaṁ kārāpetvā ājīvake uyyojesi—
That man then made a dwelling place for Ājīvaka ascetics not far from the nuns,

“etā bhikkhuniyo accāvadathā”ti.
inciting them to abuse the nuns.

Thullanandā bhikkhunī mahāmattānaṁ etamatthaṁ ārocesi.
Once again Thullanandā told the judges

Mahāmattā taṁ purisaṁ bandhāpesuṁ.
and the judges jailed him.

Manussā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—
People then complained and criticized those nuns,

“paṭhamaṁ bhikkhuniyo udositaṁ acchindāpesuṁ, dutiyaṁ daṇḍāpesuṁ, tatiyaṁ bandhāpesuṁ.
“First the nuns take his storehouse, then they have him punished, and then they have him jailed.

Idāni ghātāpessantī”ti.
Next they’ll have him executed!”

Assosuṁ kho bhikkhuniyo tesaṁ manussānaṁ ujjhāyantānaṁ khiyyantānaṁ vipācentānaṁ.
Nuns heard the complaints of those people,

Yā tā bhikkhuniyo appicchā …pe… tā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—
and the nuns of few desires complained and criticized her,

“kathañhi nāma ayyā thullanandā ussayavādikā viharissatī”ti.
“How could Venerable Thullanandā take legal action?”

Atha kho tā bhikkhuniyo bhikkhūnaṁ etamatthaṁ ārocesuṁ …pe…
Then those nuns told the monks …

“saccaṁ kira, bhikkhave, thullanandā bhikkhunī ussayavādikā viharatī”ti.
“Is it true, monks, that the nun Thullanandā is taking legal action?”

“Saccaṁ, bhagavā”ti.
“It’s true, Sir.”

Vigarahi buddho bhagavā …pe…
The Buddha rebuked her …

kathañhi nāma, bhikkhave, thullanandā bhikkhunī ussayavādikā viharissati.
“How could the nun Thullanandā take legal action?

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:

“Yā pana bhikkhunī ussayavādikā vihareyya gahapatinā vā gahapatiputtena vā dāsena vā kammakārena vā antamaso samaṇaparibbājakenāpi, ayaṁ bhikkhunī paṭhamāpattikaṁ dhammaṁ āpannā nissāraṇīyaṁ saṅghādisesan”ti.
‘If a nun takes legal action against a householder or a householder’s offspring or a slave or a worker or even toward a monastic or a wanderer, then that nun has committed an immediate offense entailing sending away and suspension.’”

Yā panāti
A:

yā yādisā …pe…
whoever …

bhikkhunīti
Nun:

…pe… ayaṁ imasmiṁ atthe adhippetā bhikkhunīti.
… The nun who has been given the full ordination in unanimity by both Sanghas through a legal procedure consisting of one motion and three announcements that is irreversible and fit to stand—this sort of nun is meant in this case.

Ussayavādikā nāma
Takes legal action:

aḍḍakārikā vuccati.
what is meant is that she is the initiator of a lawsuit.

Gahapati nāma
A householder:

yo koci agāraṁ ajjhāvasati.
anyone who lives at home.

Gahapatiputto nāma
A householder’s offspring:

ye keci puttabhātaro.
whoever is an offspring or a sibling.

Dāso nāma
A slave:

antojāto dhanakkīto karamarānīto.
one born in the household, one who has been bought, one who has been brought back as a captive.

Kammakāro nāma
A worker:

bhaṭako āhatako.
a paid worker, a servant.

Samaṇaparibbājako nāma
A monastic or a wanderer:

bhikkhuñca bhikkhuniñca sikkhamānañca sāmaṇerañca sāmaṇeriñca ṭhapetvā yo koci paribbājakasamāpanno.
anyone who is a wanderer apart from Buddhist monks, nuns, trainee nuns, novice monks, and novice nuns.

Aḍḍaṁ karissāmīti dutiyaṁ vā pariyesati gacchati vā, āpatti dukkaṭassa.
If, thinking, “I’ll initiate a lawsuit,” she looks for a companion or just goes there herself, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.

Ekassa āroceti, āpatti dukkaṭassa.
If she tells one other person, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.

Dutiyassa āroceti, āpatti thullaccayassa.
If she tells a second person, she commits a serious offense.

Aḍḍapariyosāne āpatti saṅghādisesassa.
At the end of the lawsuit, she commits an offense entailing suspension.

Paṭhamāpattikanti
An immediate offense:

saha vatthujjhācārā āpajjati asamanubhāsanāya.
there is an offense as soon as the misconduct is committed, and no pressing is required.

Nissāraṇīyanti
Entailing sending away:

saṅghamhā nissārīyati.
she is sent away from the Sangha.

Saṅghādisesanti
Suspension:

saṅghova tassā āpattiyā mānattaṁ deti mūlāya paṭikassati abbheti, na sambahulā na ekā bhikkhunī. Tena vuccati “saṅghādiseso”ti.
only the Sangha gives the trial period for that offense, sends back to the beginning, and rehabilitates—not several nuns, not an individual nun. Therefore it is called an offense entailing suspension.

Tasseva āpattinikāyassa nāmakammaṁ adhivacanaṁ. Tenapi vuccati “saṅghādiseso”ti.
This is the name and designation of this class of offense. Therefore, too, it is called an offense entailing suspension.

Anāpatti—
There is no offense:

manussehi ākaḍḍhīyamānā gacchati,
if she goes there because people pull her;

ārakkhaṁ yācati,
if she is asking for protection;

anodissa ācikkhati,
if she tells without specifying a person;

ummattikāya …pe…
if she is insane;

:pali:``
if she is deranged;

:pali:``
if she is overwhelmed by pain;

ādikammikāyāti.
if she is the first offender.

Paṭhamasaṅghādisesasikkhāpadaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ.
The first offense entailing suspension is finished.