BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

Buddhist Monastic Code 1If a bhikkhu suspects that he has committed a pārājika, he should immediatelyinform a senior bhikkhu well versed in the rules. The way the senior bhikkhu shouldhandle the case is well-illustrated by an incident reported in the Commentary to Pr2: A king together with an enormous crowd once went to worship the Great Stūpa ata certain monastery in Sri Lanka. Among the crowd was a visiting bhikkhu from theSouth of the country who was carrying an expensive roll of cloth. The commotion ofthe event was so great that he dropped the cloth, was unable to retrieve it, andsoon gave it up for lost. One of the resident bhikkhus happened to come across itand, desiring to steal it, quickly put it away before the owner might see it. Eventually,of course, he became tormented by guilt and went to the resident Vinaya expert toadmit a pārājika and disrobe.The Vinaya expert, though, wouldn't let him disrobe until he had found the owner ofthe cloth and inquired about it more fully. Eventually, after a long search, thebhikkhu was able to track down the original owner at a monastery back South, whotold him that at the time of the theft he had given the cloth up for lost and hadabandoned all mental attachment for it. Thus, as the cloth was ownerless, theresident bhikkhu had incurred not a pārājika, but simply some dukkaṭas for thepreliminary efforts with intention to steal.This example shows several things: the great thoroughness with which a seniorbhikkhu should investigate a possible pārājika, the compassion he should show tothe offender, and the fact that the offender should be given the benefit of the doubtwherever possible: He is to be considered innocent until the facts prove him guilty.There are, however, cases of another sort, in which a bhikkhu commits a pārājikaand refuses to acknowledge the fact. If his fellow bhikkhus see, hear, or have anysuspicions that this has happened, they are duty-bound to bring up the issue withhim. If they are not satisfied with his assertions of his innocence, the case becomesan accusation issue, which must be resolved in line with the procedures outlined inSg 8 and Chapter 11.Finally, the Commentary concludes its discussion of the pārājikas by noticing thatthere are altogether 24 — eight actual, twelve equivalent, and four derived —pārājikas for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs.The eight actual pārājikas are:the four for bhikkhus (also observed by the bhikkhunīs), andthe four additional pārājikas for bhikkhunīs alone.The twelve equivalent pārājikas include the eleven disqualified types who should notbe ordained as bhikkhus in the first place. If they happen to be ordained, theirordination is invalid; once they are found out they must be expelled for life (Mv.I.61-68; see BMC2, Chapter 14 for details). They are —74