English
of intentionally committing an offense, monk: And the bhikkhunis are noble individuals, two individuals, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, who are ordinary people, are able to intentionally commit all offenses, as stated in the Parivāra Pāli. Considering that it is not proper for ordinary people to make a clear declaration as noble individuals do, if one were to think that making a declaration for ordinary bhikkhus is too burdensome, then when it is said that all bhikkhus, noble and ordinary, must be taught the four unallowable acts from the very beginning in the ordination hall, among these four unallowable acts, it is said: "Whatever bhikkhu, taking even a blade of grass, takes what is not given, be it a foot, or worth a foot, or more than a foot, which is considered theft, he is not a recluse, he is not a son of the Sakyas." "Whatever bhikkhu, taking even a tiny ant, intentionally takes a human life, even causing an abortion, he is not a recluse, he is not a son of the Sakyas." "Whatever bhikkhu, with evil desires, overcome by craving, boasts of a non-existent, unreal superhuman state, even thinking 'I delight in an empty house,' he is not a recluse, he is not a son of the Sakyas." When instructed by the preceptor and teacher, the newly ordained make a declaration by saying "Yes, Venerable Sir." Even novice monks, at the time of their ordination, first make a declaration to their preceptor by saying "I undertake the training rule of abstaining from taking life," and so on. Similarly, bhikkhus, when they have committed a certain offense and are making amends by confessing, frequently make a declaration by saying "Good, very well, Venerable Sir, I will restrain myself." Even novice monks, when receiving training from their preceptor and teacher, frequently make a declaration by saying "I undertake the training rule of abstaining from taking life," and so on. Therefore, it seems strange that one should say "I am afraid of this," without being afraid of those declarations. For there is no special difference between this declaration and those declarations. This is the concluding meaning here: The offense of "declaration-dukkata" is when King Pasenadi of Kosala in Savatthi said "Go and spend the rainy season in this monastery." Having agreed, "Good," when asked, because of much gain, having gone to another monastery on the way and entered the rains retreat, due to breaking a promise, it was laid down concerning a monk named Upananda. And in the commentary on the Vinaya called Samantapāsādikā, in the section describing the entering of the rains retreat, it is said, "There is an offense of dukkata for breaking a promise." Here, it is not only for the promise, "You will observe the rains retreat here for these three months," that there is an offense. But also for such promises as, "You will receive alms for these three months," "Both of us will observe the rains retreat," "We will make a joint declaration," for each such promise, there is a dukkata offense. And this is when one's mind was pure at first, but later broke the promise. However, if one's mind was impure from the beginning, then it is said there is a pācittiya offense for the promise. Thus, for monks breaking promises to each other and with donors, the dukkata offense is mentioned only when it involves harming or causing division among others, not when one acts according to one's own wishes, saying, "I will eat," "I will sleep," and then not doing as stated, thereby breaking a promise. If, however, monks and novices, having first made a promise saying, "Yes, venerable sir," and then later, due to some necessity, commit that particular offense, they would also incur a dukkata offense for breaking the promise. If this were the case, then in each training rule, two offenses would be laid down. But it is not laid down in this way. Therefore, it should be understood that the dukkata offense for breaking a promise is laid down only in situations where one has taken the opinion of others and made a promise to them, and then broken it. Now, the king, desiring the purity of the Dispensation, thought, "By this means, monks and novices will guard their virtue, and reflecting on the fear of future consequences, they will undertake restraint." Since he had them make a promise before the Buddha, no fault is seen. And for monks and novices, it would lead to even greater purity of virtue by guarding their virtue. Then the king, to all monks and novices, before the Buddha... having made them promise in public, he made them observe the precepts. Thus, in the time of this king, those who were formerly shameless, seeing the danger, mostly became modest. In the ninetieth year after two thousand and three hundred years from the Buddha, the Blessed One's, Parinibbāna, laypeople made a bridge from the village boundary on the riverbank up to the limit of water-throwing, connecting the village boundary to the water-throwing limit, for the easy passage of monks who were performing work there. Then, the elder named Ñāṇālaṅkārasumanamahādhammarājagurugaṇācariya performed ordination and other Vinaya acts for several years there. However, Dhīrānandatthera did not wish to perform the acts, saying there was a fault of mixture (saṅkara). From that time onwards, those who approved of the opinion of Ñāṇālaṅkārasumanamahādhammarājagurugaṇācariya became his partisans. And those who approved of the opinion of Dhīrānandatthera became his partisans. Thus, the Amarapura Nikāya monks in the island of Laṅkā stand divided into two factions. Then, the monks of Dhīrānanda's faction sent the disciples of Sīlakkhandhatthera, who was of their faction, namely, the monks Dhammakhandhavanaratana, to Ratanapuṇṇanagara in our Jambudīpa, to receive advice from the Saṅgharāja Mahāthera. And they, having departed from the island of Sihala on the eighth day of the bright half of Kattika month, when two hundred and eighteen years in a thousand of the Kaliyuga had passed, arrived at Ratanapuṇṇanagara on the seventh day of the bright half of Phagguna month, when two hundred and nineteen years in a thousand had passed. Then, the Dhammarāja had a four-storied monastery built in the Saṅgharāja's park, and made them reside there. He also supported them with the four requisites. And the Saṅgharāja, having heard the words of both factions, compared them with many texts and settled the dispute. The existence of the fault of mixture in such a place having revealed, he also gave them a message-letter. And King Mahādhammarājā, having made them take the training again from the Saṅgharāja, and having given them the books of the Three Piṭakas and other things to be given, sent them by ship on the tenth day of the dark fortnight of the first Āsāḷha month in that very year. After that, the bhikkhus of the party of Ñāṇālaṅkārasumanamahādhammarājagurugaṇācariya also sent the bhikkhus Vimalajotidhammananda, disciples of the thera Paññāmoli of their party, together with a novice named Ariyālaṅkāra and four lay followers. And they arrived on the fifth day of the bright fortnight of the Kattika month, when two hundred and twenty years of the Kaliyuga had passed. Then too, he made them reside in a monastery built in the Saṅgharāja's park. And he supported them with the four requisites. The Saṅgharāja also gave a decision again in the manner stated. King Dhammarājā, having made those bhikkhus take the training again from the Saṅgharāja, and having ordained the novice, supported them with the four requisites and sent them forth. After that, when two hundred and twenty-two years of the Kaliyuga had passed, on the eleventh day of the dark fortnight of the Māgha month, two bhikkhus, three novices, and four lay followers arrived from the island of Sri Lanka at the royal city named Ratanapuṇṇa, bringing a casket of silver and gold, a relic-stupa of silver and gold, a Buddha image made of elephant ivory, leaves of the Great Bodhi, bark of the Great Bodhi, soil from the site of the Great Bodhi, leaves of the Southern Bodhi branch of Sri Lanka, and soil from the second week's Animisa site, for the purpose of a gift of Dhamma. King Dhammarājā also supported them with the four requisites and made them reside in the Saṅgharāja's park. And he made the bhikkhus take the training again. And he made the novices undergo the ordination ceremony and the lay followers the going forth ceremony. Thus is known the establishment of the Dispensation in the land of Maramma, from the time of the Buddha's Parinibbāna up to the present day, by way of the lineage of the Theras. should be done. Thus, in the Maramma country, in Arimaddana City, there were five groups of Arahant Elders: the group of Elder Uttarājīva, the group of Elder Chappada, the group of Elder Sīvali, the group of Elder Ānanda, and the group of Elder Tāmalinda. Now, I will show how the Dispensation, by way of the succession of Elders, came from the five groups in Arimaddana City to Vijayapura, Jeyyapura, and Ratanapūra. In Sirikhetta City, a king named So Yāṃ Noṃ honored Elder Saddhammaṭṭhiti, a disciple of Elder Sāradassi of the Parakkamavaṃsa lineage, as his own teacher. In the year 804 of the Kaliyuga, he came from Sirikhetta City and reigned in Ratanapūra. Then he made his son, Prince Anekibha, rule Sirikhetta City under the name Mahārāja. He declared: "Let my son's command prevail over the laypeople residing between the city of 'Kū Vṭhe Ṭa-yo Mo' in the south, the place called 'Pho Khoṃ' in the west, the city of 'Ma Loṃ' in the north, and the place called 'Koṃ Khoṃ' in the east. Let the command of my teacher, Elder Saddhammaṭṭhiti, prevail over the bhikkhus." That Elder Saddhammaṭṭhiti had two disciples: Elder Ariyavaṃsa and Elder Mahāsāmi. Among them, Elder Mahāsāmi, intending to bring the lineage of the Dispensation as previously described, went to the island of Sihala.