BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

Saṅghādisesa Chapter 5determine if the offense was a dukkaṭa, a thullaccaya, or a saṅghādisesa. But hedidn't. He simply penalized the bhikkhu with a saṅghādisesa, which again suggeststhat the presence or absence of cloth between the bhikkhu and the woman isirrelevant in all cases under this rule.The only cases of indirect contact mentioned in the Vinita-vatthu refer to contact ofa much more remote sort: A bhikkhu pulls a cord of which a woman is holding theother end, pulls a stick of which she is holding the other end, or gives her a playfulpush with his bowl.Thus in the context of this rule the Vibhaṅga defines "object connected to thebody," through which indirect contact is made, with examples of things that theperson is holding. The Vinaya-mukha adds things that are hanging from the person,like the hem of a robe or a dress. In this context, contact made through cloth thatthe person is wearing would be classed as direct. This would parallel Pr 1, in whichthe question of whether there is anything covering either of the organs involved inintercourse is completely irrelevant to the offense. Thus the concept of direct andindirect contact here would seem to follow general linguistic usage: If a woman iswearing a long-sleeved shirt, for instance, grabbing her by the arm and grabbingher by the cuff of her shirt are two different things, and would receive differentpenalties under this rule.According to the Vibhaṅga, if a bhikkhu feels desire for contact with a woman andmakes an effort that does not achieve even indirect contact — e.g., making asqueezing motion in the air near one of her breasts — the penalty is a dukkaṭa.Passive contact. The Vibhaṅga's analysis of passive contact — when the bhikkhu isthe object rather than the agent making the contact — deals with only a limitednumber of variables.Agent: either a woman the bhikkhu perceives to be a woman, or a paṇḍaka heperceives to be a woman.The agent's effort: any of the actions that fulfill the factor of effort for the fulloffense under active contact — rubbing, pulling, pushing, squeezing, etc.The bhikkhu's aim. The Vibhaṅga lists only two possibilities here: the desire topartake (of the contact) and the desire to escape (§). The Sub-commentaryexplains the first as desiring the pleasurable feeling of contact. It also states that if,in the course of receiving contact, one's motives change from desiring contact todesiring escape, the second motive is what counts.Effort. The bhikkhu either makes a physical effort or he doesn't. The Commentaryincludes under this factor even the slightest physical movements, such as winking,raising one's eyebrows, or rolling one's eyes.Result. The bhikkhu either detects the contact or he doesn't.91