BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

Buddhist Monastic Code 1to call a 24-hour period of day and night a "night." For the purpose of this rule andthe following one, this period apparently begins at sundown.The Commentary also states that the unordained person need not be the sameperson each of the four nights, and the same principle holds true for the dwelling. Inother words, if a bhikkhu lies down in a dwelling with novice X one night and thengoes elsewhere and lies down in a dwelling with layman Y the next night and so onfor four nights running, he commits an offense all the same.Perception and intention are not mitigating factors here. Thus a bhikkhu lying downin the same dwelling with a novice whom he thinks to be another bhikkhu commitsan offense all the same, as does a bhikkhu who miscounts the nights and lies downin the same room with an unordained person for what he thinks is his third nightwhen it is actually his fourth.In fact, this is a training rule that one may break without ever realizing it. Suppose anovice comes to lie down in a room where a bhikkhu is sleeping, and then gets upto leave before the bhikkhu awakens. If he does this for four nights running, thebhikkhu incurs a pācittiya even though he may never have been aware of what thenovice was doing. Rules like this are the reason why many bhikkhus make a practiceof confessing offenses even when they are not consciously aware of havingcommitted them.Non-offenses. To recapitulate some of the points from the above discussion: To liedown with an unordained person in a dwelling that would qualify as grounds for apācittiya or a dukkaṭa is no offense as long as one does it no more than three daysrunning. If, after lying down in the same dwelling with an unordained person for twonights running, one gets up before dawnrise at the end of the third night, one mayresume lying down in the same dwelling with an unordained person the next night.Also, there is no offense in lying down any number of consecutive nights with anunordained person in a dwelling that would not qualify as grounds for an offense.And, there is no offense if one of the parties is sitting while the other is lying down,or if both parties are sitting (although see Pc 44 & 45).The Vinaya-mukha comments that although this rule as it presently stands no longerfulfills its original purpose, bhikkhus should keep the original purpose in mind andavoid sleeping in the same place with an unordained person whenever possible. Itwould also be a wise policy to avoid sleeping out in a public park, on a publicbeach, in an unwalled pavilion, etc., in full view of the public, even though nooffense would be involved.It is also worth noting that this rule encourages bhikkhus to get up and meditatebefore dawn every day so that they can know for sure they haven't committed theoffense here.Summary: Lying down at the same time, in the same dwelling, with a novice orlayman for more than three nights running is a pācittiya offense.246