BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

Buddhist Monastic Code 1Displaying psychic powers. A related rule at Cv.V.8.2 states that to display psychicpowers to lay people is a dukkaṭa. In the origin story leading up to that rule, theBuddha levels strong criticism at such an act: "Just as a woman might expose hervagina for a miserable wooden māsaka coin, so too have you displayed a superiorhuman state, a wonder of psychic power, to lay people for the sake of a miserablewooden bowl."To display psychic powers to anyone who is not a lay person, though, is no offense.Thus, given the way these two rules are framed, one may not tell a novice of one'spowers but may levitate before his very eyes.Summary: To tell an unordained person of one's actual superior human attainmentsis a pācittiya offense.9. Should any bhikkhu report (another) bhikkhu's serious offense toan unordained person — unless authorized by the bhikkhus — it is tobe confessed."At that time Ven. Upananda the Sakyan had gotten into a quarrel with some groupof-sixbhikkhus. Having committed an offense of intentional emission of semen, heasked the Community to grant him probation... Now at that time a certain guild inSāvatthī was presenting a meal to the Community. Ven. Upananda, being onprobation, sat in the last seat in the meal hall. The group-of-six bhikkhus said tothe lay people, 'Friends, this Ven. Upananda the Sakyan, your esteemed dependent,emitted semen having attacked (himself) with the very same hand with which he iseating your gift of faith... (This is why), being on probation, he is sitting in the lastseat.'"There are two factors for the full offense here:1) Object a serious offense committed by another bhikkhu.2) Effort: One reports it to an unordained person without having beenauthorized to do so by the Community.Object. The Vibhaṅga states that serious offense means any of the four pārājika orthirteen saṅghādisesa offenses, while Buddhaghosa reports the ancientcommentaries as saying that it covers only the saṅghādisesas. His discussion ofthis point is interesting for the light it throws on the history of the texts: He presentstwo arguments for the commentaries' position, effectively demolishes them, butthen backs down and ends up siding with them. Why he does this is hard to say,although it may be that he himself disagreed with the ancient commentaries on thispoint but was forced to side with them by the elders of the Mahāvihāra who wereresponsible for putting the seal of approval on his work.At any rate, the details of the argument lie outside the scope of this guide. TheVinaya-mukha has already adopted Buddhaghosa's arguments against the ancient256