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1. 'There are five kinds of Samghas: the Bhikkhu Samgha consisting of four persons, the Bhikkhu Samgha consisting of five persons . . . . of ten persons . . . . of twenty persons . . . . of more than twenty persons.
'In case, O Bhikkhus, the Bhikkhu Samgha consist of four persons, and acts lawfully, and is complete, it is entitled to perform all official acts except three acts, that is, the upasampadâ ordination, pavâranâ, and abbhâna 1.
'In case, O Bhikkhus, the Bhikkhu Samgha consist of five persons, and acts lawfully, and is complete, it is entitled to perform all official acts except
two acts, that is, the upasampadâ ordination in the central countries 1 and abbhâna.
'In case, O Bhikkhus, the Bhikkhu Samgha consist of ten persons, and acts lawfully, and is complete, it is entitled to perform all official acts except one, namely, abbhâna.
'In case, O Bhikkhus, the Bhikkhu Samgha consist of twenty persons, and acts lawfully, and is complete, it is entitled to perform all official acts.
'In case, O Bhikkhus, the Bhikkhu Samgha consist of more than twenty persons, and acts lawfully, and is complete, it is entitled to perform all official acts.
2. 'An official act, O Bhikkhus, which requires the presence of four persons, if performed by a congregation in which a Bhikkhunî is the fourth, is no real act, and ought not to be performed. An official act, O Bhikkhus, which requires the presence of four persons, if performed by a congregation in which a sikkhamânâ is the fourth, . . . . in which a sâmanera, &c. 2, is the fourth, . . . . in which a person belonging to another communion is the fourth, . . . . in which a person staying within a different boundary 3 is the fourth, . . . . in which a person poised in the air by supernatural power is
the fourth, . . . . in which a person against whom the Samgha institutes a proceeding is the fourth--is no real act and ought not to be performed.'
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End of the regulations about acts performed by four persons.
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3-5. 'An official act, O Bhikkhus, which requires the presence of five (. . . . ten, . . . . twenty) persons, if performed by a congregation in which a Bhikkhunî, &c. 1, is the fifth ( . . . . tenth, . . . . twentieth), is no real act and ought not to be performed.'
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End of the regulations about acts performed by five, (ten, twenty) persons.
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6. 'If, O Bhikkhus, a congregation in which a person sentenced to the parivâsa discipline 2 is the fourth, institutes the proceedings of parivâsa, of mûlâya patikassanâ, and of mânatta, or if a congregation in which such a person is the twentieth, confers abbhâna, this is no real act and ought not to be performed.
'If, O Bhikkhus, a congregation in which a person that ought to be sentenced to mûlâya patikassanâ . . . . that ought to be sentenced to mânatta . . . . that is subject to the mânatta discipline . . . .
on whom the abbhâna sentence ought to be conferred 1, institutes the proceedings of parivâsa, of mûlâya patikassanâ, and of mânatta, or if a congregation in which such a person is the twentieth, confers abbhâna, this is no real act and ought not to be performed.
7. 'Of some persons, O Bhikkhus, the protest 2 raised in the assembly is effectual, of some persons it is ineffectual.
'And which are the persons, O Bhikkhus, whose protest raised in the assembly is ineffectual?
'The protest, O Bhikkhus, raised in the assembly by a Bhikkhunî is ineffectual. The protest, O Bhikkhus, raised in the assembly by a sikkhamânâ (&c. 3, down to:) by a person against whom the Samgha institutes a proceeding, is ineffectual. These are the persons, O Bhikkhus, whose protest raised in the assembly is ineffectual.
8. 'And which are the persons, O Bhikkhus, whose protest raised in the assembly is effectual?
'The protest, O Bhikkhus, of a Bhikkhu who is healthy (in mind), who belongs to the same communion 4, who stays within the same boundary 5, even
if he have committed a sin which brings about immediate punishment in hell,--if he give notice of his protest at the meeting,--is effectual. This is the person, O Bhikkhus, whose protest raised in the assembly is effectual.
9. 'There are, O Bhikkhus, two cases of expulsion 1 (pronounced against, a person). If expulsion, O Bhikkhus, had not been pronounced (before) against a person, and the Samgha pronounces expulsion against him, there are some against whom such expulsion has been pronounced duly, and others against whom it has been pronounced unduly.
'And which is a person, O Bhikkhus, against whom, if expulsion had not been pronounced before, and the Samgha pronounces expulsion against him, expulsion has been pronounced unduly? In case, O Bhikkhus, there be a pure, guiltless Bhikkhu,--if the Samgha pronounces expulsion against him, expulsion has been pronounced unduly. This, O Bhikkhus, is called a person against whom, if expulsion had not been pronounced before, and the Samgha pronounces expulsion against him, expulsion has been pronounced unduly.
'And which is a person, O Bhikkhus, against whom, &c., expulsion has been pronounced duly? In case, O Bhikkhus, there be an ignorant, unlearned Bhikkhu, a constant offender, who is unable to discern what is an offence 2, who lives in lay society, unduly
associating himself with lay people,--if the Samgha pronounces expulsion against him, expulsion has been pronounced duly. This, O Bhikkhus, is called a person, &c.
10. 'There are, O Bhikkhus, two cases of restoration (of an expelled Bhikkhu). If restoration, O Bhikkhus, had not been granted before to a person, and the Samgha grants restoration to him, there are some to whom such restoration will have been granted duly, and others to whom it will have been unduly granted.
'And which is a person, O Bhikkhus, to whom, &c., restoration has been granted unduly? A eunuch, O Bhikkhus, to whom restoration had not been granted before, and whom the Samgha restores, has been restored unduly. A person who has furtively attached himself (to the Samgha), &c. 1, to whom restoration had not been granted before, and whom the Samgha restores, has been restored unduly.
'This, O Bhikkhus, is called a person to whom, &c., restoration has been granted unduly. These, O Bhikkhus, are called persons to whom, &c., restoration has been granted duly.
11. 'And which is a person, O Bhikkhus, to whom, &c., restoration has been granted duly?' &c. 2
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End of the first Bhânavâra, called the Vâsabha-gâma Bhânavâra.
268:1 See Kullavagga III, 2 seq.
269:1 As regards the exceptional regulations referring to the upasampadâ ordination in the bordering countries, see above, V, 13, 12.
269:2 Here follows the very frequent enumeration given, for instance, at II, 36, §§ 1-4.
269:3 Generally speaking, the two categories of 'persons belonging to another communion,' and 'persons staying within another boundary,' can be considered as coincident. In certain cases, however, they could be distinguished; see X, 1, §§ 9, 10.
270:1 Here the enumeration of § 2 is repeated.
270:2 See about parivâsa, and the other Samghakammas referred to in this paragraph, the details given in the second book of the Kullavagga.
271:1 But has not yet been conferred. An abbhita Bhikkhu is considered as fully rehabilitated.
271:2 Against official acts which the Samgha is performing.
271:3 This list of persons who cannot protest against official acts of the Samgha differs from that given in § 2 or at II, 36, §§ 1-4, only by three categories being here added after 'a person guilty of an extreme offence' (antimavatthum agghâpannaka). These categories are the following: 'a madman,' 'a person whose mind is unhinged,' 'a person who suffers (bodily) pain.' See II, 22, 3, &c,
271:4 That is, the Samgha which is going to perform the act in question.
271:5 See the note at § 2.
272:1 Compare the rules regarding the pabbâganiyakamma, Kullavagga I, 13 seq., and our note at I, 79, 1.
272:2 Anapadâna. Buddhaghosa: 'Anapadâno ’ti apatâna-(read apadâna-) virahito. apadânam vukkati parikkhedo. âpatti-parikkheda-virahito ’ti attho.' Probably the word must not be derived from the root dâ, 'to give,' but from dâ, 'to cut.'
273:1 See the list of persons given at II, 36, 3.
273:2 The formality and the repetitions are the same here as in § 20, and need not be repeated. The list of persons whose restoration is stated to be valid is the same as at I, 71, 1.