Chapter 2

p. 306

2.

1. Now the Blessed One addressed the Bhikkhus, and said: 'Now henceforth I, O Bhikkhus, will not hold Uposatha, nor recite the Pâtimokkha; let you yourselves, O Bhikkhus, henceforth hold Uposatha and recite the Pâtimokkha. It is, O Bhikkhus, an impossible thing and an inexpedient that the Tathâgata should hold Uposatha and recite the Pâtimokkha before an assembly which is not pure. And the Pâtimokkha, O Bhikkhus, is not to be listened to by one who has committed an offence. Whosoever shall so listen to it, shall be guilty of a dukkata. I allow you, O Bhikkhus, for whomsoever shall listen to the Pâtimokkha at a time when he is guilty, to interdict for him the Pâtimokkha ¹.

'And thus, O Bhikkhus, is it to be interdicted. On the day of Uposatha, on the fourteenth or fifteenth day of the month, and at a time when that individual is present, thus shall it be proposed in the midst of the Samgha:

'"Let the venerable Samgha hear me. Such and such an individual is guilty of an offence. For him

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do I interdict the Pâtimokkha to the effect that it shall not be recited when he is present. The Pâtimokkha is accordingly interdicted."'

Footnotes

306:1 Pâtimokkham thapetum: exactly analogous to pavâranam thapetum at Mahâvagga IV, 16, 2. H.O. has already pointed out (in his 'Buddha,' p. 381, note 2) that we have evidently here a later innovation. The whole frame of the Pâtimokkha shows that it was at first intended that a guilty Bhikkhu should confess his offence during the recitation, if he had not done so before,