1. Now at that time a certain Bhikkhu, as he was passing through the Kosala
country to Sâvatthi, to visit the Blessed One, was taken ill on the way. And
that Bhikkhu went aside out of the road, and sat down at the foot of a certain
tree.
When people saw him sitting there, they said: 'Whither is your reverence going?'
'I am going, friends, to Sâvatthi to visit the Blessed One.'
2. 'Come along, Sir; let us go together.'
'I cannot, friends. I am sick.'
'Well then, Sir, get up into the cart.'
'Enough, friends! The Blessed One has forbidden the use of vehicles.' And
fearing to offend, he refused to get up into the cart.
And when that Bhikkhu had come to Sâvatthi, he told this thing to the Bhikkhus,
and they told it to the Blessed One.
'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, if you are sick, to use a cart.'
Now the Bhikkhus thought: 'Should the carts be yoked with cows or bulls?'
p. 27
They told this thing to the Blessed One.
'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to use a cart drawn by bullocks, or by hand 1.'
Now at that time a certain Bhikkhu was exceedingly distressed by the jolting of
a cart.
I allow you, O Bhikkhus, the use of a litter or a sedan-chair.'
3. Now at that time the Khabbaggiya Bhikkhus were in the habit of using lofty
and large things to recline upon, that is to say: large cushions 2; divans;
coverlets with long fleece; counterpanes of many colours, woollen coverlets 3,
white or marked with thick flowers; mattresses; cotton coverlets, dyed with
figures of animals; rugs with long hair on one or both sides; carpets inwrought
with gold, or with silk; large woollen carpets such as the nautch girls dance
upon 4; rich elephant housings, horse-rugs, or carriage rugs; panther or
antelope skins; couches covered with canopies, or with crimson cushions at both
ends 5.
p. 28
When people, who went to visit the Vihâras, saw these things, they were annoyed,
murmured, and became angry, thinking, 'This is as if they were still enjoying
the pleasures of the world.'
They told this thing to the Blessed One.
4. 'Lofty and large things to recline upon, such as large cushions (&c., as in §
3, down to:) cushions crimson at both ends, are not, O Bhikkhus, to be
used. Whosoever uses them, is guilty of a dukkata offence.'
5. Now at that time the Khabbaggiya Bhikkhus, since the use of lofty and large
things to recline upon had been forbidden by the Blessed One, used to use fine
skins, such as lion, tiger, and panther skins. These skins were cut to fit the
couches, and to fit the chairs; and were spread inside or outside the couches or
the chairs.
When people, who went to visit the Vihâras, saw these things, they were annoyed,
murmured, and became angry, thinking, 'This is as if they were still enjoying
the pleasures of the world.'
They told this thing to the Blessed One.
6. 'Fine skins, such as lion, tiger, and panther skins, are not, O Bhikkhus, to
be used. Whosoever does so, is guilty of a dukkata offence.'
7. Now at that time the Khabbaggiya Bhikkhus, since fine skins had been
forbidden by the Blessed
p. 29
[paragraph continues] One, began to use the skins of oxen. These skins were cut
to fit the couches, or the chairs; and were spread inside or outside the
couches, or the chairs.
Now a certain Bhikkhu of bad character was a friend of the family of a certain
lay-disciple of a bad character. And that bad Bhikkhu, early one morning,
dressed himself, and with his robe on and his bowl in his hand, went to the
dwelling-place of that bad disciple, and sat down on a seat made ready for him.
And the bad disciple went up to the place where the bad Bhikkhu was, and saluted
him, and took his seat beside him.
8. Now at that time that bad disciple had a young bull beautiful to behold,
quiet, and varied in colour like a panther's cub. And the bad Bhikkhu gazed with
longing at the bull. And that bad disciple said to that bad Bhikkhu: 'Why does
your reverence gaze so with longing at that bull?'
'My friend,' said he, 'I want that bull's skin.'
Then that bad disciple slew that bull, and skinned it, and gave it to that bad
Bhikkhu. And that bad Bhikkhu, hiding that skin under his robe, went away.
9. Now the cow, greedy for her calf, followed that bad Bhikkhu, keeping behind
him. The Bhikkhus said:
'How is it, friend, that this cow keeps following so behind you?'
'I don't know, friends, why it should keep following me.'
But that bad Bhikkhu's robe was soiled with blood; and the Bhikkhus asked him,
'How has this robe of yours got marked with blood?'
Then he told them the whole matter.
p. 30
'How is that, Sir? You have been causing another to deprive a living thing of
life!' 'That is so, friends.'
The modest among the Bhikkhus were annoyed, murmured, and became angry, saying,
'How can this Bhikkhu induce a man to deprive a living thing of life? Has not
the taking of life been censured, and the abstinence therefrom been praised in
many a discourse by the Blessed One?'
And the Bhikkhus told this thing to the Blessed One.
Then the Blessed One held because of this, and on that occasion, an assembly of
the community of Bhikkhus, and asked that wicked Bhikkhu,
'Is it true, as they say, that you, O Bhikkhu, have been inducing another to
deprive a living thing of life?'
'It is true, Lord.'
'But how can you be so foolish as to do so? Have I not censured in many a
discourse the taking of life, O foolish one, and praised the abstinence
therefrom? Such conduct, thou foolish one, will not conduce to the conversion of
the unconverted!'
And having thus rebuked him, and delivered a religious discourse, he addressed
the Bhikkhus, and said:
Bhikkhus! No one shall cause a living thing to be deprived of life. Whosoever
does so shall be dealt with according to the Laws 1. Ox-skins are not to be
worn, O Bhikkhus. Whosoever does so, is guilty of a dukkata offence. And
neither, O Bhikkhus, is any skin to be made use of at all. Whosoever does so, is
guilty of a dukkata offence.'
Footnotes
26:1 Kullavagga X, 21 gives the rules for sisters of the Order, corresponding to
the first two sections of this chapter.
27:1 On hatthavattakam here Buddhaghosa merely says, 'itthiyo vâ vattantu purisâ
vâ vattantu (MS. vattati) yeva.' The word recurs in Kullavagga X, 21.
27:2 That Âsandi is a cushion, and not a chair as Childers gives, is clear from
Gâtaka I, 108.
27:3 Patikâ ’ti unnâmayo setattharako (Sum. Vil. on Brahmagâla Sutta 9).
27:4 Kuttakan ti solasannam nâtakitthînam thatvâ nakkana-yoggam
unnâmayattharanam (Sum. Vil. on Brahmagâla Sutta 9).
27:5 This list recurs in the Magghima Sîla, § 5 (Rh. D., 'Buddhist Suttas from
the Pâli,' p. 193). Childers has given the commentary on most of these terms
from the Sumaṅgala Vilâsinî. Several of the items are also mentioned among the
possessions of the Great King of Glory (Rh. D., loc. cit., p. 274, &c.). In
several cases the exact meaning is at present quite uncertain. The comment on
the last two words runs as follows: Sauttarakkhadan ti saha uttarakkhadena p. 28
upari-bandhena ratta-vitânena saddhin ti attho. Setavitânam pi hetthâ
akappiya-pakkattharane sati na vattati, asati pana vattati.
Ubhatolohitakûpadhânam sisûpadhânañ ka pâdûpadhânañ ka mañkassa
ubhatolohitakûpadhânam evam (read eva?) na kappati. Yam pana ekam eva upadhânam
ubhosu passesu rattam vâ hoti paduma-vannam vâ kitram vâ sake pamâna-yuttam
vattati, mahâupadhânam pana patikkhittam.
30:1 The Laws (Dhammas) referred to are the first Pârâgika, the 11th Pâkittiya,
and the 61st and 62nd Pâkittiyas.
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