English
Although by the word "Saṅgha" an assembly of individuals is generally spoken of, yet it is of two kinds: the Saṅgha worthy of offerings, and the conventional Saṅgha. Among these, the Saṅgha worthy of offerings is said to be the assembly of the eight noble individuals. The conventional Saṅgha is the assembly of bhikkhus without distinction, and this is intended here. And this, according to the type of act, is of five kinds (Mahāva. 388) – a group of four, a group of five, a group of ten, a group of twenty... The chapter on the number, up to more than twenty. Therein, by a group of four, excluding ordination, invitation, and rehabilitation, all Sangha acts may be performed. By a group of five, excluding ordination and rehabilitation in the middle countries, all Sangha acts may be performed. By a group of ten, excluding only the act of rehabilitation, all Sangha acts may be performed. By a group of twenty, no Sangha act may not be performed. Likewise, by a group of more than twenty. However, an act to be performed by a Sangha of four or more, may not be performed by a lesser number. But by a greater number, it may be performed. This is stated to show that. In this context, all the Sangha, starting from a group of four, is intended. "Today is Uposatha" means today is the Uposatha day. By this, a non-Uposatha day is excluded. By "fifteen," another Uposatha day is excluded. Indeed, according to days, there are three Uposathas: the fourteenth-day, the fifteenth-day, and the harmony-Uposatha. Thus, these three Uposathas are stated. Therein, for the three seasons: winter, summer, and rainy, in the third and seventh fortnights, two by two, there are six fourteenth-day Uposathas. The remaining eighteen are fifteenth-day Uposathas. Thus, in one year, there are twenty-four Uposathas. This is the normal practice. However, by the saying: "I allow, monks, to recite the Pātimokkha once a fortnight, on the fourteenth or fifteenth day" (Mahāvagga 136), and by the saying: "Newcomers should follow the residents" (Mahāvagga 178), and so on, when there is such a reason, it is permissible to hold the Uposatha even on another fourteenth day. For those who have completed the former Rains Retreat, there is the former Katthika full moon. If they postpone the Pavāraṇā due to being troubled by quarrelsome individuals, then there is the fourteenth day of the dark half of the former Katthika month, or the latter Katthika full moon. For those who have completed the latter Rains Retreat, it is only the latter Katthika full moon. These are also the three Pavāraṇā days. This too is normal practice. However, when there is such a reason, two... It is proper to perform the Pavāraṇā on the full moon of Kattika and on the preceding fourteenth days. But when, in the manner stated in the Kosambaka Khandhaka (Mahāva. 451), the Sangha, after a schism, has restored that monk, and the Sangha makes peace for the settlement of that matter, then, according to the saying "the Uposatha should be held, the Pātimokkha should be recited" (Mahāva. 475), apart from the fourteenth and fifteenth days, any other day is called the day of the Uposatha of concord. For those who have completed the Rains in the previous year, within the month of Kattika, this very day is called the day of the Pavāraṇā of concord. Thus, on these three days, by "fifteenth" it rejects another Uposatha day. Therefore, that day which is rejected as a non-Uposatha day by the phrase "today is Uposatha," on that day the Uposatha should not be held. But on that other Uposatha day, the Uposatha should be held. When performing it, if it is a fourteenth-day Uposatha, it should be said: "Today is the fourteenth-day Uposatha." If it is a fifteenth-day Uposatha, it should be said: "Today is the fifteenth-day Uposatha." If it is an Uposatha of concord, it should be said: "Today is the Uposatha of concord." Regarding "when it is suitable for the Sangha" here, "suitable" means the time for this act has arrived. "Pattakalla" means "pattakāla" (suitable time). This is here comprised of four factors. As the Aṭṭhakathā teachers said: "When it is Uposatha, and as many monks as are fit for the act, and no similar offenses exist, and no objectionable persons are present therein, it is called 'suitable'." (Mahāva. Aṭṭha. 168) Therein, "Uposatha" means one of the three Uposatha days. For when that is present, this Uposatha act of the Sangha is called suitable, not otherwise. As it is said: "And, monks, the Uposatha should not be held on a non-Uposatha day; whoever does so incurs an offense of wrong-doing." (Mahāva. 183) "As many monks as are fit for the act" means as many monks as are suitable, fit, for that Uposatha act. suitable, by the very last definition, four natural persons, and they, without leaving arm's reach, stand within one boundary. And this boundary, is of two kinds: a consecrated boundary and an unconsecrated boundary. Among these, a boundary that has overcome the eleven defective boundaries, is endowed with three perfections, and is consecrated by connecting one mark to another mark, is called a consecrated boundary. "Too small, too large, with broken marks, with shadow marks, without marks, consecrated while standing outside the boundary, consecrated in a river, consecrated in the ocean, consecrated in a natural lake, consecrated by joining boundary to boundary, consecrated by overlapping boundary with boundary" These, indeed, are called the eleven defective boundaries, because "by these eleven modes, acts fail in respect of the boundary." Among these, "too small" means where twenty-one bhikkhus cannot sit. "Too large" means that which is consecrated having exceeded three yojanas, even by the tip of a hair. "With broken marks" means with unconnected marks. It is proper to declare a mark in the eastern direction, then in sequence, in the southern, western, and northern directions, and then to declare again the previously declared mark in the eastern direction. Thus, it is a unbroken mark. But if, having brought them in sequence, one declares a mark in the northern direction and leaves it there, it is called a broken mark. Another kind of broken mark is that which is consecrated by making one mark in the middle of a tree with no marks, or a stump, or a heap of earth, or a heap of sand, or any other such thing. "With shadow marks" means that which is consecrated by making any shadow, such as a mountain shadow, a mark. "Without marks" means that which is consecrated without declaring any marks at all. "Consecrated while standing outside the boundary" means that which is consecrated by one standing outside the marks after declaring the marks. "Consecrated in a river, in the ocean, in a natural lake" means that which is consecrated in these rivers and so forth. For such a boundary, even if consecrated, "All rivers, O bhikkhus, are without boundary; all oceans are without boundary." "all natural waters are without boundary" (as per Mahavagga 147) thus it is not properly designated. A boundary designated by overlapping another boundary means one's own boundary overlapping another's boundary. If to the east of an old monastery a mango and a rose-apple tree have intertwined branches, the rose-apple to the west of the mango, and the monastery boundary was set including the rose-apple and excluding the mango; then later, when a monastery is built to the east of that one, and bhikkhus setting its boundary include that mango and exclude the rose-apple, a boundary has overlapped a boundary. A boundary designated by encroaching upon another boundary means one's own boundary encroaching upon another's boundary. If one designates one's own boundary by including the whole of another's established boundary or a part of it, then it is called a boundary encroaching upon another boundary. Thus, a boundary is properly designated by avoiding these eleven faulty boundaries. Endowed with three perfections means endowed with perfection of marks, perfection of assembly, and perfection of formal act. Among these, endowed with perfection of marks means the boundary is properly designated by correctly identifying the suitable marks found in each direction among the eight mentioned marks: mountain mark, rock mark, forest mark, tree mark, road mark, anthill mark, river mark, and water mark, in the manner of: "What is the mark to the east, venerable sir? That mountain is the mark, venerable sir." Here, the suitability of marks should be understood briefly: a mountain, whether purely earth, purely rock, or a mixture of both, of all three types, is suitable as a mark if it is a cubit or more in height; anything smaller than that is not acceptable. For a rock mark, even an iron ball is considered a rock. Therefore, any rock, starting from smaller than a cubit in height as the maximum, down to the lowest limit... A lump of jaggery thirty-two palas in weight is suitable as a mark; not smaller than that. A flat stone, however, even if very large, is suitable. For a forest mark, a forest of four or five trees, with heartwood trees or mixed with heartwood trees, is suitable as a mark; anything less than that is not suitable. A tree, only if living, with heartwood, established in the ground, at least eight finger-breadths high, even the size of a needle-stick in circumference, is suitable as a mark; anything less than that is not suitable. A path, whether a foot-path or a cart-path, which penetrates through two or three village territories, such a one, only if used by caravans of pedestrians and carts, is suitable as a mark; if unused, it is not suitable. An anthill, however, with the lowest limit born on that very day, eight finger-breadths high, even an anthill the size of a cow's horn, is suitable as a mark; anything less than that is not suitable. That which, however, we shall speak of as a river in the description of un-demarcated boundaries, that is suitable as a mark; another is not suitable.