BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

The Naked Ascetic Chapter Chapter 8.5army before dawnrise of any night, that night is not counted. If he returns to spendanother night/dawn with the army, the series starts over again from one. If, however,he has spent three consecutive nights with the army and is still with the army at anytime beginning with sunset of the fourth night, he incurs a pācittiya. Unlike Pc 5, hedoes not need to be lying down for this factor to count. The Commentary illustratesthis point by saying that even if he is using his psychic power to sit levitating abovethe army at sunset on the fourth day, he still fulfills this factor.Perception as to whether more than three consecutive nights have actually passedis not a mitigating factor here (see Pc 4).Non-offenses. There is no offense in staying longer than three nights if they are notconsecutive, or in staying longer than three consecutive nights:if one is ill or caring for someone else who is ill;if the army is surrounded by opposing forces (so that the road out isblocked, says the Commentary);if one is being constrained (either by the army or its opponents, says theCommentary); orif there are other dangers (which the Commentary in many other nonoffenseclauses defines as dangers to one's life or one's celibacy).Summary: Staying more than three consecutive nights with an army on active duty,unless one has a suitable reason to be there, is a pācittiya offense.50. If a bhikkhu staying two or three nights with an army should goto a battlefield, a roll call, the troops in battle formation, or to see areview of the (battle) units, it is to be confessed."Then a certain group-of-six bhikkhu, having gone to the battlefield, was pierced byan arrow. People made fun of him: 'We hope (the battle) was well fought, venerablesir. How many points did you get? (§)'"A battlefield, according to the Vibhaṅga and Commentary here, is a place whereactual fighting may be seen; according to the Commentary to the BrahmajālaSuttanta, it is a place where war games are held. Both interpretations seem valid,especially considering the organized and decorous nature of warfare in those days.The Commentary also says that a review of battle units can mean anything down toa review of a single unit.Roll call and troops in battle formation are self-explanatory.DN 1 mentions all four of these activities as forms of entertainment. From this,using the Great Standards, we may say that any show the armed forces put on forthe public — parades, air shows, etc. — would also fall under this factor.355