BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

Buddhist Monastic Code 1planning to "rob the king," which the Commentary translates as planning to cheatthe government in one way or another. At present this would include any person orgroup of people smuggling or trading in contraband goods.None of the texts mention the minimum number of thieves needed to form a"group," but because the Vibhaṅga consistently uses plural forms to describe thethieves, it would appear that at least two thieves are needed to fulfill this factor.Perception. If one is in doubt as to whether a group would count as a caravan ofthieves, there is a dukkaṭa for traveling with them regardless of whether they actuallyare a caravan of thieves or not. If one perceives them to be a caravan of thieveswhen they actually aren't, they are grounds for a dukkaṭa. If one does not perceivethem to be a caravan of thieves, then regardless of whether they are or aren't, theyare not grounds for an offense.Making an arrangement. According to the Vibhaṅga, both the bhikkhu and thethieves must give their verbal assent to the arrangement for this part of the factor tobe fulfilled. If the bhikkhu proposes the arrangement but the thieves do not givetheir verbal assent, then even if they later travel together as he proposed, he incursa dukkaṭa. If they propose the arrangement but he does not give his verbal assent,then even if they later travel together as proposed, he incurs no penalty.Going as arranged. As the non-offense clauses indicate, if a specific time framewas part of the arrangement, then the two parties must begin traveling togetherwithin that time frame for this factor to be fulfilled. If they happen to start out earlieror later than arranged, the bhikkhu incurs no penalty. As under Pc 27, theCommentary suggests that "earlier" and "later" here apply to fairly substantialamounts of time. However, as under that rule, the Commentary also notes that ifthey leave from a different spot than the one they had arranged or go by a differentroute, that does not absolve the bhikkhu from the offense.From one village to another. There is a pācittiya for every village-to-village intervalone passes. In an area where there are no villages — i.e., says the Subcommentary,where villages are farther than half a league (8 km. or 5 miles) apart —there is a pācittiya for every half-league one travels together with the thieves asarranged.None of the texts mention cases of traveling long distances within a large city, but itwould seem that in such cases — arguing from the Great Standards — one wouldincur the full penalty in traveling from one administrative district to the next.Non-offenses. There is no offense —if the bhikkhu and thieves happen to travel together without having made anarrangement;if the thieves propose an arrangement, but the bhikkhu does not give hisverbal assent;if they leave together at a time other than that they had previously arranged;or382