Nuns’ Expiation (Pācittiya) 56 (PLI-TV-BI-VB-PC56)

… at Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now at that time several nuns, having spent the rains in a village residence, went to Sāvatthī. Nuns spoke thus to these nuns: “Where did the ladies spend the rains? We hope that the exhortation was effective?”

“There were no monks there, ladies; how could the exhortation be effective?” Those who were modest nuns … spread it about, saying:

“How can these nuns spend the rains in a residence where there is no monk?” …

“Is it true, as is said, monks, that the nuns … where there was no monk?”

“It is true, lord.”

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

“How, monks, can the nuns … where there is no monk? It is not, monks, for pleasing those who are not (yet) pleased … this rule of training:

“Whatever nun should spend the rains in a residence where there is no monk, there is an offence of expiation.”

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

A residence where there is no monk means: it is not possible to go for exhortation or for communion. If she thinks, “I will spend the rains,” (and) prepares a lodging, provides drinking water and water for washing, sweeps a cell, there is an offence of wrong-doing. With sunrise, there is an offence of expiation.

There is no offence if monks, having entered on the rains-settlement, come to have gone away or left the Order or done their time or gone over to (another) side; if there are accidents; if she is mad, if she is the first wrong-doer.

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

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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

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