Dhammaquelle Texts, Talks and Meditations

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Bu NP 11

11. The training rule on silk

11. Kosiyasikkhāpada

from: The Great Analysis

The chapter on relinquishment The subchapter on silk

11. The training rule on silk

Origin story

At one time when the Buddha was staying at Āḷavī at the Aggāḷava Shrine, the monks from the group of six went to silk-makers and said, “Please boil a heap of silkworms and give us silk. We want to make a blanket containing silk.” The silk-makers complained and criticized them, “How can the Sakyan monastics come and say such things to us? It’s our misfortune that we must kill many small creatures because of our livelihoods and because of our wives and children.”

The monks heard the complaints of those silk-makers, and the monks of few desires complained and criticized those monks, “How could the monks from the group of six go to silk-makers and say such a thing?”

After rebuking them in many ways, they told the Buddha. Soon afterwards he had the Sangha gathered and questioned the monks: “Is it true, monks, that you did this?”

“It’s true, sir.”

The Buddha rebuked them … “Foolish men, how could you do this? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:

Final ruling

‘If a monk has a blanket made that contains silk, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession.’”

Definitions

A: whoever … Monk: … 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. A blanket: it is made by strewing, not by weaving. Has made: If he makes a blanket that contains even one thread of silk, or he has one made, then for the effort there is an act of wrong conduct. When he gets the blanket, it becomes subject to relinquishment.

The blanket should be relinquished to a sangha, a group, or an individual. “And, monks, it should be relinquished like this. (To be expanded as in <a href='https://suttacentral.net/pli-tv-bu-vb-np1#3.2.5'>Bu NP 1:3.2.5</a>–3.2.29, with appropriate substitutions.)

‘Venerables, this blanket containing silk, which I got made, is to be relinquished. I relinquish it to the Sangha.’ … the Sangha should give … you should give … ‘I give this blanket back to you.’”

Permutations

If he finishes what he began himself, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession. If he has others finish what he began himself, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession. If he finishes himself what was begun by others, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession. If he has others finish what was begun by others, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession.

If he makes one, or has one made, for someone else, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If he gets one that was made by someone else and then uses it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

Non-offenses

There is no offense: if he makes a canopy, a floor cover, a cloth screen, a mattress, or a pillow; if he is insane; if he is the first offender.

The training rule on silk, the first, is finished.

Translation: English (Bhikkhu Brahmali). Source: SuttaCentral / Bilara (public domain, CC0).

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