English
like hunters, fishermen, and fowlers, all the rest is allowable. Whether asked, "What have you come for, venerable sir, for what work?" or not asked, it is allowable to ask. There is no fault due to the request. Therefore, hunters and the like should not be asked for their own work. Nor should they be asked without specifying, "Give us manual labor." For if asked in this way, they might say, "Very well, venerable sirs," and sending the monks away, kill deer and bring them. But by specifying, "There is something to be done at the monastery, give us manual labor there," they should be asked. Even a farmer or anyone else who is busy with their own work, going to plow, or to sow, or to reap, taking tools like plows and so on, it is still allowable to ask them for some manual labor. But if someone is a glutton, or any other idle person, who lives speaking useless talk or sleeping, it is allowable to make such a person do whatever is desired, even without asking, saying, "Come here, fellow, do this or do that." Now, to show that all manual labor is allowable, they relate this method. If a monk wishes to build a palace, he should go to the house of stonecutters for pillars and say, "It is allowable, lay followers, to receive manual labor." "What is to be done, venerable sir?" "Stone pillars are to be extracted and given." If they extract them and give them, or if they give their own pillars that have been extracted and set aside, it is allowable. Or if they say, "Venerable sir, we have no time to do manual labor. Have someone else extract them, we will give the payment for that," then, having had them extracted, it is allowable to say, "Give the payment to the people who extracted the stone pillars." By this same method, for palace timber, to carpenters; for bricks, to bricklayers; for roofing, to roofers; for painting, to painters... And for whatever purpose there is, for that very purpose, going to those various artisans, it is allowable to request their handiwork. And by way of requesting handiwork, whether by cutting the root, or by providing food and wages, whatever is obtained, all of it is allowable to take. And by one who has it brought from the forest, all that is unclaimed should be caused to be brought. And not only by one wishing to have a palace made, but also by one wishing to have beds, chairs, bowls, strainers, water-pots, robes, and so on, made, having obtained wood, metal, thread, and so on, approaching those various artisans, handiwork should be requested in the manner stated. And by way of requesting handiwork, whether by cutting the root, or by providing food and wages, whatever is obtained, all of it should be taken. But if they do not wish to do it, and they expect food and wages, unallowable money and so on should not be given. By the practice of alms-round, having sought rice and so on, it is allowable to give. Having had a bowl made by handiwork, and having fired it in the same way, for the purpose of oiling the new-fired bowl, by one who has entered the village, having perceived "I have come for alms," when gruel or rice is brought, the bowl should be covered with the hand. If the female lay follower asks, "What is it, Venerable Sir?" it should be said, "A new-fired bowl needs oil for wiping." If she, saying "Give it, Venerable Sir," takes the bowl, wipes it with oil, and fills it with gruel or rice and gives it, it is not called a request, it is allowable to take it. Monks, having gone for alms early, going to the sitting hall, stand, not seeing a seat. If there, lay followers, seeing the monks standing, themselves cause seats to be brought, having sat, those departing should go after asking permission. Even for those who go without asking, there is no serious fault, but going after asking is the proper practice. If, when the monks say, "Bring seats," they are brought, they must go only after asking permission. For those who go without asking, it is a breach of practice and a serious fault. The same rule applies to rugs, blankets, and so on. This is the method. There are many flies, it should be said, "Bring a fly whisk." They bring neem branches and the like, they should be made allowable and accepted. The water pot in the assembly hall is empty, it should not be said, "Take the water strainer." For if one puts the water strainer into an empty pot, it might break. It is allowable to say, "Go to the river or the pond and bring water." It is never allowable to say, "Bring it from home," nor should what is brought be consumed. When performing the meal service in the assembly hall or in the forest, if one causes to be brought any natural, uncultivated leaf or fruit that is suitable for a superior offering, by way of manual labor, it is allowable to cause it to be brought and consumed. But manual labor should not be caused to be done by shameless monks or novices. This is the method for human needs. It is not allowable to cause an ox to be brought from an unknown, uninvited place; for causing it to be brought, there is a dukkaṭa offense. Even from a known, invited place, it is not allowable to ask for it for permanent possession; it is allowable everywhere for temporary use. Such an ox, having been brought, should be protected and cared for, and returned to its owners. If its leg or horn breaks or is destroyed, if the owners agree, that is good. If they do not agree, there is a penalty. If they say, "We give it to you," it should not be accepted. But if it is said, "We give it to the monastery," it should be said, "Tell the monastery workers to care for it." It is not allowable to say, "Give a cart," even in an unknown, uninvited place; it is an entreaty and incurs a dukkaṭa offense. But in a known, invited place, it is allowable; it is allowable for temporary use, after the work is done, it should be returned. If the felloes and the like break, they should be made good and returned. If it is lost, there is a penalty. If it is said, "We give it to you," it is allowable to accept wooden articles. This is the method for axes, adzes, hatchets, hoes, and mattocks. And regarding creepers and the like, taken by others. And regarding creepers and the like, only if they are sufficient for heavy goods, is a request made, not less than that. But anything not dwelt upon may be caused to be brought. Indeed, a request is called such only in a protected and guarded place. It (a request) is not permissible at all for two requisites. But for the lodging requisite, merely a request saying "bring, give" is not permissible. Discussion, hinting, and suggestive actions are permissible. There, for one desiring a Uposatha hall, or a refectory, or any other lodging, speech in this manner, such as "Indeed, in this place, it is permissible to make such a lodging," or "it is suitable," or "it is appropriate," is called discussion. "Lay followers, where do you dwell?" "In a palace, venerable sir." "But lay followers, is a palace not permissible for monks?" Such speech is called hinting. Seeing people, he stretches out a rope, causes pegs to be driven in. When asked, "What is this, venerable sir?" and he says, "We will make a dwelling here," such an action is called a suggestive action. But for the requisite for the sick, even a request is permissible, much more so discussion and the like. People are troubled, troubled by requests, troubled by asking; they are oppressed by the requests and asking of those monks. They also become agitated, thinking, "What will they cause to be brought now?" They experience agitation, trembling, stirring. They also become terrified, seeing them as if they were snakes, suddenly terrified, they flee. They also run away, from afar, they run away in any direction. They also go by another way, abandoning the path they were on, turning back, taking the left or the right, they go, and they even close the doors. 344. "Formerly, monks..." Thus, the Blessed One, having reproached those monks and given a suitable discourse on the Dhamma, again making clear the fault of requesting, showed three stories in this manner, beginning with "Formerly, monks..." There, Maṇikaṇṭha, it is said, was a Nāga king, who had a precious gem that granted all wishes. He wears a jewel around his neck, thus he was known as "Jewel-Neck." He stood with a great hood over his head. It is said that he was the younger ascetic, the one who practiced loving-kindness, of those two ascetics. Therefore, the Nāga king, having risen from the river, and having created a divine form, sat near him, and having exchanged pleasant greetings, he abandoned that divine form and assumed his own form. Then, encircling that ascetic, and showing a pleased demeanor, he made a great hood over his head, holding it like an umbrella, and after standing for a moment, he departed. Therefore it is said, "He stood with a great hood over his head." "A jewel around his neck" means a jewel was worn around his neck, it was put on. "He stood to one side" means having come in that divine form, he stood in one place, exchanging greetings with the ascetic. "My food and drink" means my food and drink. "Abundant" means plentiful. "Excellent" means exquisite. "You are an excessive beggar" means you are an extreme beggar, it means you beg again and again. "Young" means youthful, a strong, vigorous man who has reached youth. "Sakkharā" is called black stone, one who is washed there is called "sakkharadhota." "Sakkharadhota in his hand" means one who has a sword sharpened and washed on a stone in his hand. Just as that man with a sword would frighten, so you frightened me by begging for the rock, it means begging for the jewel. "He does not beg for that" means he should not beg for that. Which? "That which he knows to be dear to that being." "What then of human beings?" means what need is there to speak of what is unpleasant to human beings? 345. "Distressed by the sound of the flock of birds." It is said that the flock of birds