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"dasáhaparamaµ atirekapatto dháretabbo. taµatikkámayato nissaggiyaµ pácittiyaµ."
Not to keep an extra bowl more than ten days at a time. If a bhikkhu, during a period exceeding ten days, keeps a bowl, in addition to the one that he determined as his bowl, this extra bowl must be relinquished and it entails a pácittiya.
Without determining and abandoning it, an extra bowl can be kept only ten days at the most. Beyond that limit, it must be relinquished to another bhikkhu. In this case, the bhikkhu utters this formula:
"ayaµ me bhante patto dasáhátikkanto nissaggiyo, imáhaµ áyasmato nissajjámi."
"This extra bowl that I kept more than ten days must be relinquished. Venerable, this bowl, I abandon it to you."
Once this relinquishment is done, the bhikkhu, while accepting the bowl, must remit back to the guilty bhikkhu, who should either determine this bowl, or else definitely abandon it to another bhikkhu.
"yo pana bhikkhu únapañcabandhanena pattena aññaµ navaµ pattaµ cetápeyya, nissaggiyaµ, tena bhikkhuná so patto bhikkhuparisáya nissajjitabbo. yo ca tassá bhikkhuno padátabbo "ayaµ te bhikkhu patto yáva bhedanáya dharetabbo" ti, ayaµ tattha sámící."
Not to ask for a new bowl as long as the present one does not have at least five cracks or has not become unusable. If a bhikkhu asks – and receives – a new bowl, while the previous doesn't have at least five cracks or fissures, or hasn't become unusable yet, it must be relinquished and it entails a pácittiya. This bowl must be relinquished to the saµgha (all the bhikkhus of the monastery) by remitting it to the eldest among the brethren. In turn, the eldest remits one of his bowls to the second bhikkhu (in rank of seniority) who will remit one to the next and so on. The worst bowl – which is extra to all others – must be remitted to this guilty bhikkhu who will have to utilise it until it breaks. He must also relinquish his original bowl. To give up the new bowl, the guilty bhikkhu will say:
"imaµ me bhante patto únapaýca bandhanena pattena cetápito nissaggiyo, imáhaµ saµghássa nissajjámi."
"Venerable, it is convenient that I give up this bowl that I asked for, knowing that mine doesn't bear five cracks yet. This bowl, I leave it to the saµgha."
Once this bowl has been abandoned, the bhikkhu must purify the pácittiya by doing the desaná.
If the crack of an earthen bowl has a length measuring at least two phalanxes, a small hole must be punctured on each side so that a string, being utilised as fixation, could pass through. If the bowl does not have at least ten phalanxes, a new bowl cannot be claimed. If there are holes where food can be stuck in, they must be sealed with graphite or resin. If a grain of semolina can pass through a hole, the determination of the bowl is abolished; it means that the bowl can no longer be considered as such. And so, if a hole is enlarged, it must be sealed with the help of a sheet, or an iron filing, etc.
Naturally, a bhikkhu can accept a supplementary bowl if a dáyaka offers it to him spontaneously, even if the present bowl is still in good shape.
"yáni kho pana táni gilánánaµ bhikkhúnaµ pa†isáya níyáni bhesajjáni, seyyathidaµ, sappi navanítaµ telaµ madhu phášitaµ, táni ta†iggahetvá sattáharamaµ sannidhikárakaµ paribuñjitabbáni. taµ atikkámayato nissaggiyaµ pácittiyaµ."
Not to keep medicinal foods more than seven days at a time. If a bhikkhu undergoing a stage of bad health, who is allowed to store and use medicinal foods such as butter, fat, oil, honey, molasses or sugar for a period of seven days at the most, consumes one of these stored foods after this period, the product must be forsaken and it entails a pácittiya.
These medicinal foods must be accepted within the limits of what can be consumed during a period of seven days. If these medicinal foods cannot be totally consumed during this period, before the seven days have expired, the bhikkhu must make a determination by saying: "I will eat - or drink - no more of this product." If this (or these) food (s) is not absorbed but only smeared, it can be stored beyond seven days. It is improper to consume these foods if it is only due to hunger or to simply satisfy a desire (gluttony). These medicinal foods are only permitted in the following cases: lack of energy, weakness, illness due to winds circulating in the body and other health problems of this kind. A bhikkhu suffering these health problems is free to use these products at any moment of the day or night.
Among the five types of medicinal foods, those that are consumed must be filtered prior to it, to make sure that they do not contain any solid particles. Nowadays, apart from sugar cane, all that is extracted from sugar such as palm juice, cubes of palm sugar and molasses of palm (usually in the shape of irregular balls) also belong to the category of honeys, sugars and molasses. Sick bhikkhus are allowed to use sugar cubes and hard molasses. As to the bhikkhus who do not have health problems, in case of hunger, they are allowed to consume sugars or molasses in the afternoons,. However they can do it only in liquid form.
A healthy bhikkhu must give up this type of liquid the same day and cannot accept solids in the afternoon. At the end of the seven days, an unhealthy bhikkhu must abandon and get someone to re-offer him these products if he needs to be able to consume them for another seven days.
"" máso saso gihmána" nti bhikkhuná vassikasá†ikacívaraµ pariyesitabbaµ, "addhamáso seso gihmána" nti katvá nivásetabbaµ. orenace "máso seso gihmána" nti vassikasá†idacívaraµ pariyeseyya, ore "na ddhamáso seso gihmána" nti katvá niváseyya, nissaggiyaµ pácittiyaµ."
Not to get a bath robe, sewed, dyed or brought before the full moon. If a bhikkhu searches for a material to make a "bath robe" between the full moons of October and May, if he sews or dyes a "bath robe" between the full moons of October and June, or if he determines or wears one between the full moons of October and July, he must abandon this robe and it entails a pácittiya.
A "bath robe" is a material worn by a bhikkhu while taking his shower under the rain (during the monsoon, between June and October).
The bathrobe nissaggiya must be relinquished to the saµgha, or to a group of bhikkhus, or to a single bhikkhu. Afterwards, the pácittiya must be purged by means of desaná. Here is the formula that must be pronounced either in pá¦i, or else in another language, when the "bath robe" is abandoned.
"idaµ me bhante vissikasá†ikacívaraµ atirekamáse sese gihmánepariyi††haµ, atirekaddhamáse sese gihmáne katvá paridahitaµ nissaggiyaµ, imáhaµ saµghássa nissajjámi."
"Venerable(s), I must abandon this bathrobe that I searched for and obtained outside the five authorised months / which I sew, dyed, wore beyond the four authorised months. This robe, I leave to you."
Afterwards, the bhikkhu must abandon this robe.
"yo pana bhikkhu bhikkhusa sámaµ cívaraµ datvá kupito anattamano acchindeyya vá acchindápeyya vá, nissaggiyaµ pácittiyaµ."
Not to take back a robe after having offered it. If a bhikkhu, after having offered a robe to another bhikkhu, out of anger, or else out of annoyance, takes back this robe or causes someone else to take it back, this robe must be forsaken and it entails a pácittiya.
A bhikkhu who takes back a robe that he has offered to another bhikkhu, while considering it belongs to him, commits the nissaggiya 25. If the first bhikkhu takes back something that he gave to a second bhikkhu and the latter knows that this thing was given to him, depending on the value of the object, the first bhikkhu may commit the párájika 2. In all cases, the robe must be given back to its owner.
"yo pana bhikkhu sámaµ suttaµ viññápetvá tantaváyehi cívaraµ váyápeyya, nissaggiyaµ pácittiyaµ."
Not to get the robe woven. If whilst asking for thread, a bhikkhu gets a robe woven and he receives it, he must abandon it and it entails a pácittiya.
A bhikkhu must not ask for a large quantity of thread from a person who is not a relative of his or who has not invited him to tell what he needed. If a bhikkhu causes one of these persons to get a robe woven by a weaver, he commits the nissaggiya 26.
"bhikkhuµ paneva uddissa aññátako gahapati vá gahapatání vá tantaváyehi cívaraµ váyápeyya, tatra ceso bhikkhu pubbe appavárito tantaváye upasaýamitvá cívare viappaµ ápajjeyya "idaµ kho ávuso cívaraµ maµ uddissa viyyati, áyatañca karotha vitthatañca appitañca suvítañca suppaváyitañca suvilekhitañca suvitacchitañca karothi, appeva náma mayampi áyasmantánaµ kiñcimattaµ anupadajjeyyámá" ti. evañca so bhikkhu vatvá kiñimattaµ anupadajjeyya antamaso pišðapátampi, nissaggiyaµ pácittiyaµ."
Not to ask for a robe to be woven bigger and of better quality than the one that the donor had planned to give. If, after a dáyaka has requested a weaver to weave a robe for a bhikkhu who is not a relative of his, without being requested to do so, the latter proceeds to a weaver to give him instructions so that the woven robe is of better quality than the one that the donor has planned to give, and according to these instructions, the weaver makes it larger; or else thicker; of better quality; regular and flat; or he spreads the material or dyes the thread well, if he gets this robe woven according to his wish, it irremediably calls for its forfeiture, and it entails a pácittiya.
"dasáhánágataµ kattikatemásikapuššamaµ bhikkhuno paneva accekacívaraµ uppajjeyya, accekaµ maññamánena bhikkhuná pa†iggahetabbaµ. pa†iggahetvá yáva cívarakálasamayaµ nikkhipitabbaµ. tato ce uttari nikkhipeyya, nissaggiyaµ pácittiyaµ."
Not to accept any extra robe – offered or not out of emergency – beyond the authorised period. If a bhikkhu accepts an extra robe that is offered or not because of an emergency, and he keeps it beyond the authorised period (refer to nissaggiya 3), it must be relinquished and it entails a pácittiya.
As an exception, a bhikkhu can accept an extra robe as soon as ten days before the end of the vassa, in case of emergency. A robe that is offered urgently is a robe offered by: a person who must leave on a trip; a pregnant woman; a sick person or a person whose faith in the dhamma suddenly arises. This donor can then invite the bhikkhu so as to offer him, or can himself go to the bhikkhu, and tell him: " vassávásikaµ dassámi." In English: "I offer you this robe of vassa." In these conditions (of emergency), the bhikkhus are authorised to accept a robe. If this robe is accepted before the kathina, it can be stored as a supplementary robe until the full moon of November (or beginning of December), that is to say, a month before the end of vassa. If this robe is accepted after the kathina, without determination, it can be stored during five months starting from the end of the vassa. If it is kept beyond the maximum authorised period, in both cases, it entails the nissaggiya 28.
"upavassaµ kho pana kattikapuššamaµ yáni kho pana táni áraññakáni senásanáni sákaýkasammatáni sappa†ibhayáni, tathárúpesu bhikkhu senásanesu viharanto ákaýkháno tiššaµ cívaránaµ aññataraµ cívaraµ antaraghare nikkhipeyya, siyá ca tassa bhikkhuno kocideva paccayo tena cívarena vippavásáya, chárattaparamaµ tena bhikkhuná tena cívarena vippavasitabbaµ. tato ce uttari vippavaseyya aññatra bhikkhu sammutiyá, nissaggiyaµ pácittiyaµ."
Not to leave one of the robes more than six nights in a village, at the end of the vassa period, while lodging in a dangerous area. If, during the kathina, a bhikkhu who is not sick, leaves one of his robes in a village for more than six nights, this robe must be abandoned and it entails a pácittiya.
During the kathina, if a bhikkhu living in a forest monastery fears a danger, he can leave one of his robes in a village for a period of six nights (at the most).
According to this rule, four conditions must be fulfilled to be permitted to leave a robe in a village:
"yo pana bhikkhu jánaµ saµghikaµ lábhaµ parišataµ attáno parišámeyya, nissaggiyaµ pácittiyaµ."
Not to divert for his own benefit a donation made to the saµgha. If, coming to know - by means of gestures or speech - that some things were meant to be offered to the saµgha, a bhikkhu succeeds in getting them diverted to him for his own benefit, these things must be forsaken and it entails a pácittiya.
This rule specifies that even a bhikkhu who accepts things that his mother meant to offer to the saµgha, after having influenced her to divert them to him, commits the nissaggiya 30.
Origin: Texts in Burmese language
Translator (Burmese to French): Monk Dhamma Sámi
Date of translation: 2000
Translator (French to English: Thierry Lambrou
Date of translation (into English): 2002
Update: 2005, June the 19th
