Saṁvidhāna

Theravāda Vinaya

Theravāda Collection on Monastic Law

Mahāvibhaṅga

The Great Analysis

Pācittiyakaṇḍa

The chapter on offenses entailing confession

Sappāṇakavagga

The subchapter on containing living beings

67. Saṁvidhānasikkhāpada

Traveling with a woman

Origin story

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 aññataro bhikkhu kosalesu janapade sāvatthiṁ gacchanto aññatarena gāmadvārena atikkamati.

a monk who was traveling through the Kosalan country on his way to Sāvatthī walked through the gateway of a certain village.

Aññatarā itthī sāmikena saha bhaṇḍitvā gāmato nikkhamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ passitvā etadavoca—

A woman who had had an argument with her husband walked through the same gateway. When she saw that monk, she asked him,

“kahaṁ, bhante, ayyo gamissatī”ti?

“Venerable, where are you going?”

“Sāvatthiṁ kho ahaṁ, bhagini, gamissāmī”ti.

“I’m going to Sāvatthī.”

“Ahaṁ ayyena saddhiṁ gamissāmī”ti.

“May I go with you?”

“Eyyāsi, bhaginī”ti.

“Sure.”

Atha kho tassā itthiyā sāmiko gāmato nikkhamitvā manusse pucchi—

Soon afterwards that woman’s husband also left that village. He asked around,

“apāyyo, evarūpiṁ itthiṁ passeyyāthā”ti?

“Have you seen such-and-such a woman?”

“Esāyyo, pabbajitena saha gacchatī”ti.

“She’s walking along with a monastic.”

Atha kho so puriso anubandhitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ gahetvā ākoṭetvā muñci.

He then followed after them, caught that monk, and gave him a beating.

Atha kho so bhikkhu aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle padhūpento nisīdi.

The monk sat down fuming at the foot of a tree.

Atha kho sā itthī taṁ purisaṁ etadavoca—

And the woman said to her husband,

“nāyyo, so bhikkhu maṁ nippātesi;

“This monk didn’t make me go;

api ca ahameva tena bhikkhunā saddhiṁ gacchāmi;

I was the one who went with him.

akārako so bhikkhu;

He’s innocent.

gaccha, naṁ khamāpehī”ti.

Go and ask his forgiveness.”

Atha kho so puriso taṁ bhikkhuṁ khamāpesi.

And he did so.

Atha kho so bhikkhu sāvatthiṁ gantvā bhikkhūnaṁ etamatthaṁ ārocesi.

That monk then went to Sāvatthī where he told the monks what had happened.

Ye te bhikkhū appicchā …pe… te ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—

The monks of few desires complained and criticized him,

“kathañhi nāma bhikkhu mātugāmena saddhiṁ saṁvidhāya ekaddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjissatī”ti …pe…

“How could a monk travel by arrangement with a woman?” …

“saccaṁ kira tvaṁ, bhikkhu, mātugāmena saddhiṁ saṁvidhāya ekaddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjasī”ti?

“Is it true, monk, that you did this?”

“Saccaṁ, bhagavā”ti.

“It’s true, sir.”

Vigarahi buddho bhagavā …pe…

The Buddha rebuked him …

kathañhi nāma tvaṁ, moghapurisa, mātugāmena saddhiṁ saṁvidhāya ekaddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjissasi.

“Foolish man, how could do this?

Netaṁ, moghapurisa, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya …pe…

This will affect people’s confidence …” …

evañca pana, bhikkhave, imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ, uddiseyyātha—

“And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:

Final ruling

“Yo pana bhikkhu mātugāmena saddhiṁ saṁvidhāya ekaddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjeyya, antamaso gāmantarampi, pācittiyan”ti.

‘If a monk travels by arrangement with a woman, even just to the next inhabited area, he commits an offense entailing confession.’”

Definitions

Yo panāti

A:

yo yādiso …pe…

whoever …

bhikkhūti

Monk:

…pe… ayaṁ imasmiṁ atthe adhippeto bhikkhūti.

… The monk who has been given the full ordination by a unanimous Sangha through a legal procedure consisting of one motion and three announcements that is irreversible and fit to stand—this sort of monk is meant in this case.

Mātugāmo nāma

A woman:

manussitthī, na yakkhī na petī na tiracchānagatā viññū paṭibalā subhāsitadubbhāsitaṁ duṭṭhullāduṭṭhullaṁ ājānituṁ.

a human female, not a female spirit, not a female ghost, not a female animal. She understands and is capable of discerning good and bad speech, what is decent and what is indecent.

Saddhinti

With:

ekato.

together.

Saṁvidhāyāti—

By arrangement:

“gacchāma bhagini, gacchāmāyya, gacchāmāyya, gacchāma bhagini, ajja vā hiyyo vā pare vā gacchāmā”ti saṁvidahati, āpatti dukkaṭassa.

if he makes an arrangement like this: he says, “Let’s go,” and she replies, “Yes, let’s go, venerable;” or she says, “Let’s go, venerable,” and he replies, “Yes, let’s go;” or he says, “Let’s go today,” “Let’s go tomorrow,” or “Let’s go the day after tomorrow,” then he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

Antamaso gāmantarampīti

Even just to the next inhabited area:

kukkuṭasampāte gāme gāmantare gāmantare āpatti pācittiyassa.

when the inhabited areas are a chicken’s flight apart, then for every next inhabited area he commits an offense entailing confession.

Agāmake araññe addhayojane addhayojane āpatti pācittiyassa.

When it is an uninhabited area, a wilderness, then for every six kilometers he commits an offense entailing confession.

Permutations

Mātugāme mātugāmasaññī saṁvidhāya ekaddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjati, antamaso gāmantarampi, āpatti pācittiyassa.

If it is a woman, and he perceives her as such, and he travels by arrangement with her, even just to the next inhabited area, he commits an offense entailing confession.

Mātugāme vematiko saṁvidhāya ekaddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjati, antamaso gāmantarampi, āpatti pācittiyassa.

If it is a woman, but he is unsure of it, and he travels by arrangement with her, even just to the next inhabited area, he commits an offense entailing confession.

Mātugāme amātugāmasaññī saṁvidhāya ekaddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjati, antamaso gāmantarampi, āpatti pācittiyassa.

If it is a woman, but he does not perceive her as such, and he travels by arrangement with her, even just to the next inhabited area, he commits an offense entailing confession.

Bhikkhu saṁvidahati mātugāmo na saṁvidahati, āpatti dukkaṭassa.

If the monk makes an arrangement, but the woman does not express her agreement, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

Yakkhiyā vā petiyā paṇḍakena vā tiracchānagatamanussaviggahitthiyā vā saddhiṁ saṁvidhāya ekaddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjati, antamaso gāmantarampi, āpatti dukkaṭassa.

If he travels by arrangement with a female spirit, with a female ghost, with a paṇḍaka, with a female animal in the form of a woman, even just to the next inhabited area, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

Amātugāme mātugāmasaññī, āpatti dukkaṭassa.

If it is not a woman, but he perceives them as such, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

Amātugāme vematiko, āpatti dukkaṭassa.

If it is not a woman, but he is unsure of it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

Amātugāme amātugāmasaññī, anāpatti.

If it is not a woman, and he does not perceive them as such, there is no offense.

Non-offenses

Anāpatti—

There is no offense:

asaṁvidahitvā gacchati,

if he goes, but not by arrangement;

mātugāmo saṁvidahati bhikkhu na saṁvidahati,

if the woman has made an arrangement, but he has not expressed his agreement;

visaṅketena gacchati,

if he goes, but not according to the arrangement;

āpadāsu,

if there is an emergency;

ummattakassa,

if he is insane;

ādikammikassāti.

if he is the first offender.

Saṁvidhānasikkhāpadaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ sattamaṁ.

The training rule on traveling with a woman, the seventh, is finished.