Parajika Dhamma - Major Offences

PÂRÂJIKÂ DHAMMÂ - Major Offences
THE PÂRÂJIKA RULES.

Here these four Rules, concerning those acts which bring about Defeat, come
into recitation.
1. Whatsoever Bhikkhu who has taken upon himself the Bhikkhus' system of
self-training and rule of life, and has not thereafter withdrawn from the
training, or declared his weakness, shall have carnal knowledge of any one, down
even to an animal, he has fallen into defeat, he is no longer in communion1.
2. Whatsoever Bhikkhu shall take, from village or from wood, anything not
given--what men call 'theft'--in such manner of taking as kings would seize the
thief for, and slay, or bind, or banish him, saying, 'Thou art a thief, thou art
stupid, thou art a fool, thou art dishonest,'--the Bhikkhu who in that manner
takes the thing not given, he, too, has fallen into defeat, he is no longer in
communion.
3. Whatsoever Bhikkhu shall knowingly deprive of life a human being, or shall
seek out an assassin against a human being, or shall utter the praises of death,
or incite another to self-destruction, saying, 'Ho! my friend! what good do you
get from this sinful, wretched life? death is better to thee than life!'--if, so
thinking, and with such an aim, he, by various argument, utter the praises of
death or incite another to self-destruction--he, too, is fallen into defeat, he
is no longer in communion.
4. Whatsoever Bhikkhu, without being clearly conscious of extraordinary
qualities, shall give out regarding himself that insight into the knowledge of
the noble ones has been accomplished, saying, 'Thus do I know,' 'Thus do I
perceive:' and at some subsequent time whether on being pressed, or without
being pressed, he, feeling guilty, shall be desirous of being cleansed from his
fault, and shall say, 'Brethren! when I knew not, I said that I knew; when I saw
not, I said that I saw--telling a fruitless falsehood;' then, unless he so spake
through undue confidence he, too, has fallen into defeat, he is no longer in
communion.



Venerable Sirs, the four Conditions of Defeat have been recited, of which
when a Bhikkhu has fallen into one or other, he is no longer allowed to be in
co-residence with the Bhikkhus. As before, so afterwards, he is defeated, he is
not in communion.

In respect of them I ask the venerable ones, 'Are you pure in this matter?'
A second time I ask, 'Are you pure in this matter?'
A third time I ask, 'Are you pure in this matter?'
The venerable ones are pure herein. Therefore do they keep silence. Thus I
understand.



Here endeth the recitation of the Pârâjikas.