Lying on the same sheet (PLI-TV-BI-VB-PC32)

Theravāda Collection on Monastic Law

The Nuns’ Analysis

The chapter on offenses entailing confession

The subchapter on lying down

Lying on the same sheet

Origin story

At one time when the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery,

two nuns were lying down on the same sheet and under the same cover.

When people walking about the dwellings saw this, they complained and criticized them,

“How can two nuns lie down on the same sheet and under the same cover? They’re just like householders who indulge in worldly pleasures!”

The nuns heard the complaints of those people,

and the nuns of few desires complained and criticized them,

“How can nuns do this?” …

“Is it true, monks, that nuns do this?”

“It’s true, sir.”

The Buddha rebuked them …

“How can nuns do this?

This will affect people’s confidence …” …

“And, monks, the nuns should recite this training rule like this:

Final ruling

‘If two nuns lie down on the same sheet and under the same cover, they commit an offense entailing confession.’”

Definitions

Two:

whoever …

Nuns:

fully ordained is what is meant.

If two lie down on the same sheet and under the same cover:

if they spread out just the one and cover themselves with just the one, they commit an offense entailing confession.

Permutations

If it is the same sheet and the same cover, and they perceive them as such, and they lie down, they commit an offense entailing confession.

If it is the same sheet and the same cover, but they are unsure of it, and they lie down, they commit an offense entailing confession.

If it is the same sheet and the same cover, but they perceive them as different, and they lie down, they commit an offense entailing confession.

If it is the same sheet but different covers, they commit an offense of wrong conduct.

If it is different sheets but the same cover, they commit an offense of wrong conduct.

If it is different sheets and different covers, but they perceive them as the same, they commit an offense of wrong conduct.

If it is different sheets and different covers, but they are unsure of it, they commit an offense of wrong conduct.

If it is different sheets and different covers, and they perceive them as such, there is no offense.

Non-offenses

There is no offense:

if they make a partition and then lie down;¹

if they are insane;

if they are the first offenders.

The second training rule is finished.