BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

The Living Plant Chapter Chapter 8.2down there. To place one's bedding or seat in any other part of the dwelling entailsa dukkaṭa; and to sit or lie down there, another dukkaṭa — assuming in all of thesecases that the dwelling belongs to the Community.Perception with regard to the dwelling is not an issue here (see Pc 4). If thedwelling actually belongs to the Community, this part of the factor is fulfilledregardless of whether one perceives it as belonging to the Community or not.There is a dukkaṭa for intruding on the space of a bhikkhu — intending to force himout — in the area immediately adjacent to such a dwelling, in a place belonging tothe Community that is not the dwelling of a particular person (e.g., an open pavilionor a meal hall), the shade of a tree, in the open air, or in a dwelling belonging toanother individual. To do so in a dwelling belonging to oneself entails no offense.According to the Commentary, this last allowance also applies to a dwellingbelonging to anyone who has offered to let one take his/her belongings on trust.Intention. If there is a compelling reason — one is ill or suffering from the cold orheat, or there are dangers outside — one may intrude on the space of anotherbhikkhu without penalty. The reason for these allowances would appear obvious —one is not aiming at forcing the other bhikkhu out — but the matter is not as simpleas that. The Sub-commentary reports the Three Gaṇṭhipadas as saying thatbecause of this allowance, one may make an excuse of one's illness, etc., as apretext for intruding on the other bhikkhu's space so as to force him out of thedwelling. The Sub-commentary tries to argue with this ruling, but the Gaṇṭhipadashave the support of the Vibhaṅga here: Only if one's sole motive is to force theother bhikkhu out is one subject to an offense under this rule. If one has mixedmotives, one may take advantage of one's illness, etc., to move in on the otherbhikkhu.However, once the illness, etc., has passed, one would commit an offense eachtime one continued to sit or lie down intruding on his space.All of this may seem very strange on the surface, but it is likely that the originaloccupant would not feel unduly pressured if an ill bhikkhu or one escaping dangerswere to move into his dwelling, while he would start feeling pressured by thecontinued presence of the bhikkhu after the illness or dangers had passed, which iswhy the penalties are allotted as they are.Summary: Intruding on another bhikkhu's sleeping or sitting place in a dwellingbelonging to the Community, with the sole purpose of making him uncomfortableand forcing him to leave, is a pācittiya offense.277