BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

The factors for an offense here are three.Buddhist Monastic Code 1Object: a piece of any of the six allowable types of robe-cloth, measuring at leastfour by eight fingerbreadths, which is being made for one's sake by thearrangement of a donor who is unrelated and has not given an invitation to ask.Effort. One approaches the weavers and gets them to improve the cloth in any ofthe seven ways mentioned in the rule. Although the rule seems to indicate that thefactor of effort is completed only when the weavers receive the promised reward,the Vibhaṅga says simply that it is completed when, as a result of one's statement,the weavers improve the cloth as requested. In addition, the non-offense clausesgive no exemption for a bhikkhu who does not give the promised reward. Thus, thebhikkhu does not have to give the reward for this factor to be fulfilled. Thecommentaries follow the Vibhaṅga on this point, and add that the bhikkhu'sstatement need not even include a promise of a reward. As the Commentary puts it,the bhikkhu's words quoted in the rule are meant simply as an example of any wayin which one might get them to add more thread to the cloth. The Sub-commentary,however, notes that of the seven ways of improving the cloth, only the first threeinvolve added thread. Its implied conclusion is that any statement that succeeds ingetting the weavers to improve the cloth in any of these seven ways would fulfill thefactor of effort here, regardless of whether the improvement involves adding morethread.As for the promised reward, the Vibhaṅga defines almsfood as covering anything ofeven the slightest material value — food, a lump of powder, tooth wood, unwoventhread, or even a phrase of Dhamma. (For example, the bhikkhu might try to get theweavers to improve the cloth by describing the merit they will gain by doing so.)Note, however, that almsfood is defined as the minimal amount of reward. There isno maximum on what might be promised. Thus, even if the bhikkhu promises to payin full for any added materials or time that the weavers might devote to the robe, hedoes not escape fulfilling this factor of the offense. (Some have objected that itshould be all right for the bhikkhu to pay in full for the improvements in the robe, butremember that to do so would be an insult to the donors.)Result. One receives the cloth.Offenses. The bhikkhu incurs a dukkaṭa when the weavers improve the cloth in linewith his instructions, and the full offense when he receives it. The procedures forforfeiture, confession, and return of the cloth are the same as under NP 1. The roleof perception — regarding whether the donors are one's relatives or not — is thesame as under NP 8.Non-offenses. There is no offense if —the donors are relatives,they have invited one to ask,one asks for the sake of another,one gets the weavers to make the cloth less expensive than the donors hadordered, or222