Aṇguttara Nikāya
VIII. Atthaka Nipāta
IX. Sati-Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
VIII. The Book of the Eights
Chapter IX: Mindfulness
Sutta 87
Patta-Nikkujjana Suttaṃ
The Bowl
Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.
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[1] THUS have I heard:
Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī.
There the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, the Order, should it wish,
may turn down[1] the bowl of a lay-disciple,
who is possessed of eight qualities.
Of what eight?
He goes about to bring loss to the monks;
he goes about to harm them;
he goes about to evict them from their dwellings;
he reviles and defames them;
he causes disunion between monk and monk;
he speaks in dispraise of the Buddha;
he speaks in dispraise of Dhamma;
he speaks in dispraise of the Order.
Monks, the Order, should it wish,
may turn down the bowl of a lay-disciple,
who is possessed of these eight qualities.
§
But the Order, should it wish,
may restore[2] the bowl of a lay-disciple,
who is possessed of of eight qualities.
Of what eight?
He does not go about to bring loss to the monks;
he does not go about to harm them;
he does not go about to evict them from their dwellings;
he does not revile and defame them;
he does not causes disunion between monk and monk;
he does not speak in dispraise of the Buddha;
he does not speak in dispraise of Dhamma;
he does not speak in dispraise of the Order.
Monks, the Order, should it wish,
may restore the bowl of a lay-disciple,
who is possessed of these eight qualities."
(S.B.E. xx, 120),: 'There are eight things, O Bhikkhus, which when they characterise an Upâsaka, the bowl is to be turned down in respect of him;--when he goes about to bring loss of gifts on the Bhikkhus, when he goes about to bring harm to the Bhikkhus, when he goes about to cause the Bhikkhus to want a place of residence, when he reviles or slanders the Bhikkhus, when he causes divisions between Bhikkhus and Bhikkhus;--when he speaks in dispraise of the Buddha,;--when he speaks in dispraise of the Dhamma;--when he speaks in dispraise of the Samgha. I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to turn down the bowl in respect of an Upâsaka who is characterised by these eight things.'
and also:
When a Bhikkhu behaves towards the laity in any one of the first five of these eight ways the Patisâraniya-kamma is to be carried out against him--that is to say, he has to ask pardon of the layman against whom he has offended.
— p.p.
[1] Nikkujjeyya. Comy. explains thus: (The Order) may turn it down by a bowl-tuming-down act of Council (kamma-vācā; see Child. s.v.), not by placing it face downwards; see Vin. ii, 125 (S.B.E. xx, 120), where these eight recur; cf. also p. 18.
[2] Ukkujjeyya.
