Theravāda Vinaya — Mahāvibhaṅga — Pārājikakaṇḍa

Summary verses of case studies

“About overestimation, in the wilderness,

Almsfood, preceptor, behavior;

Fetters, qualities while in solitude,

Dwelling, supported.

Not difficult, and then energy, fear of death,

Remorseful friend, rightly;

To be reached by energy, to be reached by exertion,

Then two on the enduring of feeling.

Five cases of a brahmin,

Three on declaring final knowledge;

Home, rejected worldly pleasures,

And delight, set out.

Bone, and lump—both are cattle butchers;

A morsel is a poultry butcher, a sheep butcher is flayed;

And a pig butcher and sword, a deer hunter and knife,

And a torturer and arrow, a horse trainer and needle.

And a slanderer is sewn,

A corrupt magistrate had testicles as burden;

An adulterer submerged in a pit,

An eater of feces was a wicked brahmin.

A flayed woman was an adulteress,

An ugly woman was a fortune-teller;

A sweating woman poured coals on a co-wife,

A beheaded man was an executioner.

A monk, a nun, a trainee nun,

A novice monk, then a novice nun—

These having gone forth in the training of Kassapa

did bad deeds right there.

The Tapodā, battle in Rājagaha,

And with the plunging in of elephants;

The perfected monk Sobhita

recalled five hundred eons.”

Case studies, part 1

At one time a monk declared final knowledge because of overestimation.

He became anxious, thinking,

“The Buddha has laid down a training rule.

Could it be that I’ve committed an offense entailing expulsion?”

He told the Buddha.

“There’s no offense for overestimates.”

At one time a monk lived in the wilderness

because he wanted people to esteem him.

People esteemed him.

He became anxious …

“There’s no offense entailing expulsion.

But, monks, you should not live in the wilderness because of a wish. If you do, you commit an offense of wrong conduct.”

At one time a monk was walking for almsfood

because he wanted people to esteem him.

People esteemed him.

He became anxious …

“There’s no offense entailing expulsion.

But, monks, you should not walk for almsfood because of a wish. If you do, you commit an offense of wrong conduct.”

At one time a monk said to another monk,

“Those who are pupils of our preceptor are all perfected ones.”

He became anxious …

“What were you thinking, monk?”

“I wanted to make a claim, sir.”

“There’s no offense entailing expulsion,

but there’s a serious offense.”

At one time a monk said to another monk,

“Those who are pupils of our preceptor all have great supernormal power.”

He became anxious …

“What were you thinking, monk?”

“I wanted to make a claim, sir.”

“There’s no offense entailing expulsion,

but there’s a serious offense.”

At one time a monk did walking meditation because he wanted people to esteem him …

stood because he wanted people to esteem him …

sat because he wanted people to esteem him …

lay down

because he wanted people to esteem him.

People esteemed him.

He became anxious …

“There’s no offense entailing expulsion.

But, monks, you should not lie down because of a wish.

If you do, you commit an offense of wrong conduct.”

At one time a monk claimed a superhuman quality to another monk, saying,

“I’ve abandoned the fetters.”

He became anxious …

“You’ve committed an offense entailing expulsion.”

At one time a monk claimed a superhuman quality while in solitude.

A monk who could read minds rebuked him, saying,

“No, you haven’t got it.”

He became anxious …

“There’s no offense entailing expulsion,

but there’s an offense of wrong conduct.”

At one time a monk claimed a superhuman quality while in solitude.

A god rebuked him, saying,

“No, sir, you haven’t got it.”

He became anxious …

“There’s no offense entailing expulsion,

but there’s an offense of wrong conduct.”

At one time a monk said to a lay follower,

“The monk living in your dwelling is a perfected one.”

He was the one who lived in that dwelling.

He became anxious …

“What were you thinking, monk?”

“I wanted to make a claim, sir.”