Nuns’ Expiation (Pācittiya) 39 (PLI-TV-BI-VB-PC39)

… at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove at the squirrels’ feeding place. Now at that time nuns walked on alms-tour during the rains. People … spread it about, saying: “How can these nuns walk on almstour during the rains, trampling down the crops and grasses, injuring life that is one-facultied, bringing many small creatures to destruction?” Nuns heard these people who … spread it about. Those who were modest nuns … spread it about, saying:

“How can these nuns … during the rains … bringing many small creatures to destruction?” …

“Is it true, as is said, monks, that nuns … during the rains … bringing many small creatures to destruction?”

“It is true, lord.”

The enlightened one, the lord, rebuked them, saying:

“How, monks, can nuns walk on almstour during the rains … bringing many small creatures to destruction? It is not, monks, for pleasing those who are not (yet) pleased … this rule of training:

“Whatever nun should walk on almstour during the rains, there is an offence of expiation.”

Whatever means: … nun is to be understood in this case.

During the rains means: not having spent the first three months or the last three months.

Should walk on almstour means: in a village close enough for a cock (to walk) … see Bi-Pc.37.2.1 … in what is not a village, in the jungle, there is an offence of expiation.

There is no offence if she goes away for seven days because there is something to be done; if she goes away because she is troubled about something; if she is mad, if she is the first wrong-doer.

The Book of the Discipline was translated by I.B. Horner.

Digital edition prepared for SuttaCentral by Bhikkhu Sujato

A complete digital edition can be downloaded here.

Published in 2014 by SuttaCentral.

Originally published by the Pali Text Society in the following years:

Vol. 1: 1938

Vol. 2: 1940

Vol. 3: 1942

Vol. 4: 1951

Vol. 5: 1950

Vol. 6: 1966

In May 2013, these volumes were kindly released by the Pali Text Society under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 licence (CC BY-NC 3.0). The current digital edition, including all revisions, corrections, additions, and modifications, is released under the same terms, which are as follows.

You are free to:

Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.

Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material.

The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.

Under the following terms:

Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.

No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.