Scaring a monk (PLI-TV-BU-VB-PC55)

Theravāda Collection on Monastic Law

The Great Analysis

The chapter on offenses entailing confession

The subchapter on drinking alcohol

Scaring a monk

Origin story

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

the monks from the group of six were scaring the monks from the group of seventeen.

They cried.

Other monks asked them why,

and they told them.

The monks of few desires complained and criticized them,

“How can the monks from the group of six scare other monks?” …

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

“It’s true, sir.”

The Buddha rebuked them …

“Foolish men, how can you do this?

This will affect people’s confidence …” …

“And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:

Final ruling

‘If a monk scares a monk, he commits an offense entailing 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 monk:

another monk.

Scares:

if one who is fully ordained, wishing to scare another who is fully ordained, arranges a sight, a sound, a smell, a taste, or a physical contact, then whether the other monk is scared or not, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If he tells him about a wilderness inhabited by criminals, predatory animals, or demons, then whether the other monk is scared or not, he commits an offense entailing confession.

Permutations

If the other person is fully ordained, and he perceives him as such, and he scares him, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If the other person is fully ordained, but he is unsure of it, and he scares him, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If the other person is fully ordained, but he does not perceive him as such, and he scares him, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If, wishing to scare someone who is not fully ordained, he arranges a sight, a sound, a smell, a taste, or a physical contact,

then whether the other person is scared or not, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If he tells him about a wilderness inhabited by criminals, predatory animals, or demons,

then whether the other person is scared or not, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If the other person is not fully ordained, but he perceives them as such, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If the other person is not fully ordained, but he is unsure of it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If the other person is not fully ordained, and he does not perceive them as such, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

Non-offenses

There is no offense:

if he arranges a sight, a sound, a smell, a taste, or a physical contact, or he tells about a wilderness inhabited by criminals, predatory animals, or demons, but not because he wishes to scare anyone;

if he is insane;

if he is the first offender.

The training rule on scaring a monk, the fifth, is finished.