Chronicle of the Island (Dīpavaṁsa)

The Chronicle of the Island - 165
70. Dummitta and Pāpasoṇa and other shameless men. He went to
those wicked Bhikkhus and asked them about the sense (of the
Religion) and the doctrine.
71. Dummitta and Pāpasoṇa and other shameless men secretly
consulted in order to mislead the pious (king).
72. These wicked, infatuated men taught that (computing) the twenty
years (required for) the Upasampadā ordination from the
conception, which has been admitted (by Buddha) in (the story
about) Kumārakassapa, 61 is not allowable.
73. The practice of (wearing) ivory (fans) 62 [221] which has not been
admitted in the story about the Chabbaggiyas, these shameless, idle
(?) teachers taught to be allowable.
74. Regarding these and other matters many other shameless
Bhikkhus, without a reason, for the sake of their own advantage,
taught that (the true doctrine) was a false doctrine.
75. Having performed through his life, in consequence of his
intercourse with those wicked persons, evil as well as good deeds,
this king Mahāsena passed away (to another existence) according to
his actions.
61 Mahāvagga, I, 75.
62 I have translated this passage according to the indications given in the
Mahāvaṁsa Ṭikā (see the quotation in the footnote, p. 113), although I do
not know any story in the Vinaya mentioning the Chabbaggiya Bhikkhus,
which relates to the use of ivory fans. There is in the
Khuddakavatthukhandha[ka] (Cullavagga, V, 28, 1) a precept which
implicitly excludes the use of fans made of ivory (“anujānāmi bhikkhave
tisso vījaniyo vākamayaṁ usīramayaṁ morapiñchamayaṁ”). I think that
this is the passage alluded to, though the Chabbaggiyas are not expressly
mentioned in it; in the short stories which precede and follow this one,
most frequently mention is made of the transgressions of the
Chabbaggiyas, so that the expression “Chabbaggiyānaṁ vatthu” may have
been extended to this passage also, by an inaccuracy which scarcely will
be deemed strange.