Sixth Khandhaka. Chapter 17
17.
1. Now when the Blessed One had remained at the Ki"t" Hill as long as he thought fit, he proceeded on his journey towards "l"av; and in due course he arrived at "l"av, and there, at "l"av, the Blessed One stayed at the Agg"l"ava Shrine.
Now at that time the Bhikkhus of "l"av 2 used to
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give new building operations in charge (to one or other of their number) 1, such as the following 2 when some clay or earth had merely to be put aside in heaps, when a wall had merely to be re-plastered, when a door had merely to be made, when the socket for a bolt had merely to be made, when some joinery-work had merely to be done to a window, when some whitewashing merely had to be done, or some black colouring laid on, or some red colouring 3, or some roofing-work, or some joinery, or a bar had to be fixed to a door 4, when breaches or decay had merely to be repaired 5, or the flooring to be re-plastered 6; and they assigned this office to one another for terms of twenty or thirty years, or
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for life; or they gave in charge a completely finished Vihra to a Bhikkhu for such time as should elapse till the smoke rose (from the funeral pyre on which his body should be burnt 1).
The moderate Bhikkhus murmured, &c. (as usual, down to) The Blessed One said to the Bhikkhus:
'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to confer the office of building overseer when clay has merely to be put aside in heaps.... (&c., as before, down to) body shall be burnt. Whosoever shall so confer it, shall be guilty of a dukka"t"a. I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to give a Vihra not yet begun, or not yet finished 2, in charge as a new building. And with reference to the work on a small Vihra, it may be given in charge as a navakamma for a period of five or six years, that on an A"d"dh"ayoga for a period of seven or eight years, that on a large Vihra or a Psda for ten or twelve years.'
2. Now at that time the Bhikkhus gave the whole of a Vihra as a navakamma (to one Bhikkhu to superintend)--or two Vihras to one Bhikkhu--or the Bhikkhu who had taken the work in charge got another (Bhikkhu to live there and take charge for him)--or the Bhikkhu who had taken in charge a
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building belonging to the Sa"m"gha kept exclusive possession of it--or the Bhikkhus gave work in charge to one not at that time within the boundary 1--or Bhikkhus who had once taken charge kept exclusive possession for all time.
They told [each of] these matters to the Blessed One.
'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to do [any one of these things]. Whosoever does, he is guilty of a dukka"t"a. And the Bhikkhu in charge may take one good sleeping-place into his exclusive possession for the three months of the rainy, but not during the dry season.'
3. Now at that time Bhikkhus who had taken charge of building operations left the place [or otherwise became incompetent in one or other of the twenty and three ways set out in the next paragraph 2].
They told this matter to the Blessed One.
'In case that occurs, O Bhikkhus, as soon as he has taken charge, or before the building has been completed, let the office be given to another lest there should be loss to the Sa"m"gha. In case the building has been completed, O Bhikkhus, if he then leaves the place, it (the office and its privileges) is still his--if he then returns to the world, or dies, or admits that he is a sma"n"era, or that he has abandoned the precepts, or that he has become guilty of an extreme offence, the Sa"m"gha
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becomes the owner 1--if he then admits that he is mad, or that his mind is unhinged, or that he is afflicted with bodily pain, or that he has been suspended for his refusal to acknowledge an offence, or to atone for an offence, or to renounce a sinful doctrine, it (the office and its privileges) is still his--if he then admits that he is a eunuch, or that he has furtively attached himself to the Sa"m"gha, or that he has gone over to the Titthiyas, or that he is an animal, or that he has murdered his mother, or his father, or an Arahat, or that he has violated a Bhikkhun, or that he has caused a schism in the Sa"m"gha, or that he has shed (a Buddha's) blood, or that he is an hermaphrodite, then the Sa"m"gha becomes the owner.'
Footnotes
212:2 The Bhikkhus of "l"av are frequently mentioned in connection p. 213 with offences in relation to the navakamma"m". See, for instance, Pr"g"ika Iii, 5, 30.
213:1 For the rule authorising such giving in charge in general cases, see above, Vi, 5.
213:2 For most of the following technical terms in building, see our notes above on "K"ullavagga V, 11, and V, 1, 2.
213:3 See our note on this phrase above, V, 11, 6.
213:4 Ga"n"d"ikadhna-matten ti dvra-bhna"m" upari-kapo"t"a-ga"n"d"ika-yo"g"ana-mattena (B.). Ga"n"d"i is used in this sense at "G"taka I, 237. Compare the use of Dhamma-ga"n"d"ik, 'block of execution,' at "G"taka I, 150, Ii, 124. The word ga"n"d"ik occurs also at "G"taka I, 474 (last line), in the sense of 'bunch:' but it is there probably a misprint; for Oldenberg, in the parallel passage at Bhikkhun-vibhaga, P"k"ittiya I, 1, reads bha"n"d"ike. That the two words are easily confused in Burmese writing is shown by the fact that the Berlin (Burmese) copy of Buddhaghosa reads here also bha"n"d"ikdhna-matten ti, &c., and again afterwards bha"n"d"ika.
213:5 See our note on this phrase above, Vi, 5, 2.
213:6 Paribha"n"d"a-kara"n"a-matten ti gomaya-paribha"n"d"a-kasva-parikara"n"a-mattena (B.). The very same expression is used in a wholly doubtful sense, and of some process of tailoring, in. Mahvagga Vii, 1, 5.
214:1 Dhmaklikan ti ida"m" yv' assa "k"itaka-dhmo na pa"yatti tva aya"m" vihro etass' ev ti eva"m" dhma-kle apaloketv kata-pariyosita"m" vihra"m" denti (B.). The word recurs below, applied to sikkhpada"m", in Xi, 1, 9.
214:2 Vppakatan ti ettha vippakato nma yva gopnasiyo na rohanti. Gopnassu pana ru"l"hsu bahukato nma hoti: tasm tato pa"t"th"ya na dtabbo (B.). The use of bahukato is noteworthy. for in the only other passage where we have found the word (Mahvagga Vi, 36, 2), it has a totally different application. There is possibly a misreading in the one MS. available. (? pakato.)
215:1 See above, Vi, 11, 3.
215:2 See Mahvagga Ii, 22, 3, and Ii, 36, 1-3. In the latter of these two passages the three cases are omitted. In Mahvagga Ix, 4, 2, and 8, the whole 23 are given.
216:1 That is, the navakammiko loses his privileges (his lien on the best sleeping-place, &c.).
1. Now when the Blessed One had remained at the Ki"t" Hill as long as he thought fit, he proceeded on his journey towards "l"av; and in due course he arrived at "l"av, and there, at "l"av, the Blessed One stayed at the Agg"l"ava Shrine.
Now at that time the Bhikkhus of "l"av 2 used to
p. 213
give new building operations in charge (to one or other of their number) 1, such as the following 2 when some clay or earth had merely to be put aside in heaps, when a wall had merely to be re-plastered, when a door had merely to be made, when the socket for a bolt had merely to be made, when some joinery-work had merely to be done to a window, when some whitewashing merely had to be done, or some black colouring laid on, or some red colouring 3, or some roofing-work, or some joinery, or a bar had to be fixed to a door 4, when breaches or decay had merely to be repaired 5, or the flooring to be re-plastered 6; and they assigned this office to one another for terms of twenty or thirty years, or
p. 214
for life; or they gave in charge a completely finished Vihra to a Bhikkhu for such time as should elapse till the smoke rose (from the funeral pyre on which his body should be burnt 1).
The moderate Bhikkhus murmured, &c. (as usual, down to) The Blessed One said to the Bhikkhus:
'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to confer the office of building overseer when clay has merely to be put aside in heaps.... (&c., as before, down to) body shall be burnt. Whosoever shall so confer it, shall be guilty of a dukka"t"a. I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to give a Vihra not yet begun, or not yet finished 2, in charge as a new building. And with reference to the work on a small Vihra, it may be given in charge as a navakamma for a period of five or six years, that on an A"d"dh"ayoga for a period of seven or eight years, that on a large Vihra or a Psda for ten or twelve years.'
2. Now at that time the Bhikkhus gave the whole of a Vihra as a navakamma (to one Bhikkhu to superintend)--or two Vihras to one Bhikkhu--or the Bhikkhu who had taken the work in charge got another (Bhikkhu to live there and take charge for him)--or the Bhikkhu who had taken in charge a
p. 215
building belonging to the Sa"m"gha kept exclusive possession of it--or the Bhikkhus gave work in charge to one not at that time within the boundary 1--or Bhikkhus who had once taken charge kept exclusive possession for all time.
They told [each of] these matters to the Blessed One.
'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to do [any one of these things]. Whosoever does, he is guilty of a dukka"t"a. And the Bhikkhu in charge may take one good sleeping-place into his exclusive possession for the three months of the rainy, but not during the dry season.'
3. Now at that time Bhikkhus who had taken charge of building operations left the place [or otherwise became incompetent in one or other of the twenty and three ways set out in the next paragraph 2].
They told this matter to the Blessed One.
'In case that occurs, O Bhikkhus, as soon as he has taken charge, or before the building has been completed, let the office be given to another lest there should be loss to the Sa"m"gha. In case the building has been completed, O Bhikkhus, if he then leaves the place, it (the office and its privileges) is still his--if he then returns to the world, or dies, or admits that he is a sma"n"era, or that he has abandoned the precepts, or that he has become guilty of an extreme offence, the Sa"m"gha
p. 216
becomes the owner 1--if he then admits that he is mad, or that his mind is unhinged, or that he is afflicted with bodily pain, or that he has been suspended for his refusal to acknowledge an offence, or to atone for an offence, or to renounce a sinful doctrine, it (the office and its privileges) is still his--if he then admits that he is a eunuch, or that he has furtively attached himself to the Sa"m"gha, or that he has gone over to the Titthiyas, or that he is an animal, or that he has murdered his mother, or his father, or an Arahat, or that he has violated a Bhikkhun, or that he has caused a schism in the Sa"m"gha, or that he has shed (a Buddha's) blood, or that he is an hermaphrodite, then the Sa"m"gha becomes the owner.'
Footnotes
212:2 The Bhikkhus of "l"av are frequently mentioned in connection p. 213 with offences in relation to the navakamma"m". See, for instance, Pr"g"ika Iii, 5, 30.
213:1 For the rule authorising such giving in charge in general cases, see above, Vi, 5.
213:2 For most of the following technical terms in building, see our notes above on "K"ullavagga V, 11, and V, 1, 2.
213:3 See our note on this phrase above, V, 11, 6.
213:4 Ga"n"d"ikadhna-matten ti dvra-bhna"m" upari-kapo"t"a-ga"n"d"ika-yo"g"ana-mattena (B.). Ga"n"d"i is used in this sense at "G"taka I, 237. Compare the use of Dhamma-ga"n"d"ik, 'block of execution,' at "G"taka I, 150, Ii, 124. The word ga"n"d"ik occurs also at "G"taka I, 474 (last line), in the sense of 'bunch:' but it is there probably a misprint; for Oldenberg, in the parallel passage at Bhikkhun-vibhaga, P"k"ittiya I, 1, reads bha"n"d"ike. That the two words are easily confused in Burmese writing is shown by the fact that the Berlin (Burmese) copy of Buddhaghosa reads here also bha"n"d"ikdhna-matten ti, &c., and again afterwards bha"n"d"ika.
213:5 See our note on this phrase above, Vi, 5, 2.
213:6 Paribha"n"d"a-kara"n"a-matten ti gomaya-paribha"n"d"a-kasva-parikara"n"a-mattena (B.). The very same expression is used in a wholly doubtful sense, and of some process of tailoring, in. Mahvagga Vii, 1, 5.
214:1 Dhmaklikan ti ida"m" yv' assa "k"itaka-dhmo na pa"yatti tva aya"m" vihro etass' ev ti eva"m" dhma-kle apaloketv kata-pariyosita"m" vihra"m" denti (B.). The word recurs below, applied to sikkhpada"m", in Xi, 1, 9.
214:2 Vppakatan ti ettha vippakato nma yva gopnasiyo na rohanti. Gopnassu pana ru"l"hsu bahukato nma hoti: tasm tato pa"t"th"ya na dtabbo (B.). The use of bahukato is noteworthy. for in the only other passage where we have found the word (Mahvagga Vi, 36, 2), it has a totally different application. There is possibly a misreading in the one MS. available. (? pakato.)
215:1 See above, Vi, 11, 3.
215:2 See Mahvagga Ii, 22, 3, and Ii, 36, 1-3. In the latter of these two passages the three cases are omitted. In Mahvagga Ix, 4, 2, and 8, the whole 23 are given.
216:1 That is, the navakammiko loses his privileges (his lien on the best sleeping-place, &c.).
