Nuns’ Expiation (Pācittiya) 8 (PLI-TV-BI-VB-PC8)

… at Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now at that time a certain brahmin who earned (his keep) as a hireling of a king, saying, “I will ask for wages as before,” having washed his head, went along beside a nunnery to the royal court. A certain nun, having relieved herself in a receptacle, in throwing it away over a wall, let it fall on that brahmin’s head. Then that brahmin … spread it about, saying: “These shaven-headed strumpets are not true recluses. How can they let a pot fall on my head? I will set fire to their dwelling,” and having taken up a fire-brand, he entered the dwelling. A certain lay follower as he was going out from the dwelling saw that brahmin who, having taken up the fire-brand, was entering the dwelling. Seeing him, he spoke thus to that brahmin: “Why do you, good sir, having taken up a fire-brand, enter the dwelling?”

“Good sir, these shaven-headed strumpets let a pot fall on my head. I will set fire to their dwelling.”

“Go away, good brahmin, this is auspicious; you will receive a thousand, and this is (your) wage.” Then that brahmin, having washed his head, having gone to the royal court, received a thousand, and this was the wage. Then that lay follower, having entered the dwelling, having told this matter to the nuns, scolded them. Those who were modest nuns … spread it about, saying: “How can these nuns throw out excrement over a wall?” …

Is it true, as is said, monks, that nuns threw out excrement over a wall?”

“It is true, lord.”

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

“How, monks, can nuns … over a wall? It is not, monks, for pleasing those who are not (yet) pleased … this rule of training:

“Whatever nun should throw out or should cause (another) to throw out excrement or urine or rubbish or remains of food over a wall or over a fence, there is an offence of expiation.”

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

Excrement means: it is called faeces.

Urine means: it is called water.

Rubbish means: it is called sweepings.

Remains of food means: odd bits or bones or impure water.

Wall means: there are three (kinds of) walls, a wall of bricks, a wall of stones, a wall of wood.

Fence means: there are three (kinds of) fences, a fence of bricks, a fence of stones, a fence of wood.

Over a wall means: beyond a wall.

Over a fence means: beyond a fence.

Should throw out means: if she herself throws out, there is an offence of expiation.

Should cause (another) to throw out means: if she commands another, there is an offence of expiation. When once commanded, if she throws out many times, there is an offence of expiation.

There is no offence if she throws out having looked over; if she throws out into what is not a track; 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.