The Vows of Personal Liberation 105 Rules for the Postulant Nun [B'] The postulant nun observes six basic and six additional rules Once the aspirant has been ordained as a postulant nun, in addition to the ten precepts of the female novice, she must observe the [six basic and six additional] rules of that [ordination] for two years Vishakhadeva states94: These six basic rules Have been prescribed for the postulant nun: She should not travel alone, Swim across a river, Touch a man, Sit together with him, Conceal downfalls [of other postulants], Or arrange a union [between a male and a female] Further: Do not commit these offenses: Handling gold, Shaving the pubic hair, Tilling the soil, Cutting grass and other plants, Eating what has not been ritually given and accepted, And eating food that has been stored These are the six additional rules Moreover, it is explained that, with the exception of seven transgressions95 that are admissible, the postulant nun should preserve the entire ethical code of a nun Rules for the Monk and Nun [c'] The first point related to the ethical conduct of the monk deals with the procedure for accepting a tutor Accepting a Tutor [1'] As soon as an aspirant has taken the vows of a novice or monk, he should study under a well-qualified tutor and follow correctly the rules until he has acquired the two qualities relating to steadfastness and learning Steadfastness refers to having preserved full ordination for ten years without interruption, and learning, to erudition possessing the five characteristics.96 106 Buddhist Ethics If the monk or novice is living [in a monastery] with the preceptor who has ordained him, that preceptor will automatically be his tutor, and he does not need to perform the ceremony of accepting him as tutor If he is not living with his ordaining preceptor, he should search for a monk who is qualified to be a tutor and perform the ceremony of accepting him as such.97 Then, as the sun rises on the second day, he becomes his tutor.98 A tutor is allowed to be the instructor for many monks; however, he cannot accept more than one novice [into his care] Since it is not permissible [for a monk] to stay with a novice for more than three nights, [a novice] should not stay with the tutor but should reside nearby Concerning the way of studying under the tutor, it is said99: Once he has accepted a tutor, the monk should request permission from his teacher for whatever he wishes to Accordingly, with the exceptions of permitted times or activities (such as prostrating before a nearby stupa, defecating and urinating, or being absent for one day), the monk should not simply act on his own, but should ask his teacher for permission.100 The teacher must offer good counsel and give teaching [to the student] in the proper way Disregard of the reciprocal obligations101 on the part of the teacher and the monk under his care nullify their tutor and tutored status The Actual Training [2'] The actual training is discussed under two headings: (1) learning what is prohibited, and (2) training in the prescribed discipline Learning What Is Prohibited [a'] This section has two parts: (1) the rules of a monk, and (2) the rules of a nun The Rules of the Monk [i'] (1) An overview, and (2) an extensive explanation Overview [aa'] The rules of the monk concern five classes of downfalls The prescribed rules for a monk concern [the avoidance of] five classes of downfalls: the class of defeating offenses, the class of partially The Vows of Personal Liberation 107 defeating offenses, the class of downfalls [whose restoration involves forfeiture or confession], the class of offenses that must be individually confessed, and the class of minor infractions.102 Extensive Explanation [bb'] This consists of five parts, corresponding to these five classes The Defeating Offenses [1"] Sexual intercourse, theft, murder, and lying about one’s level of spiritual attainment Constitute the class of defeating offenses If the basis, attitude, act, and consummation are all present, the ordination is lost If one or more aspects are missing, a serious infraction or another offense is incurred The class of defeating offenses consists of four acts: (1) Sexual intercourse refers to the experience of orgasm arising from the contact made when the penis penetrates any of the three [orifices]—the mouth, anus, or vagina—of a living being, be it male, female, neuter, or animal, or of a corpse with at least half the body (2) Theft refers to personally stealing, or inducing someone else to steal, another person’s possessions of significant value The measure of significant value in India equals the value of four hundred cowrie shells, or one quarter karshapana.103 To steal an object equal in worth to that [would be the defeating offense] In Tibet, an object is considered of significant value when it is worth one bushel of barley when there is no famine, or one-half bushel of barley in times of famine Thus, what has significant value must be determined in the context of each individual country (3) Murder is to kill, or to induce another to kill, a human being or a foetus in the earliest [or later] stages of development in the womb104 with a weapon, poison, mantra, or in other ways [As for inducing another to kill,] the Treasury of Phenomenology states105: In war and similar circumstances, those who share the same purpose Bear [the same responsibility] as the one who carries out the action (4) Telling lies about one’s level of spiritual attainment106 (saying one has qualities superior to human attributes) is to falsely claim that one 108 Buddhist Ethics has attained high or superior qualities not easily accomplished by a human being Falsely claiming to be enlightened, to have clairvoyance, to have experienced signs of spiritual accomplishment, to have seen a deity, and other such examples would fall into this category Vishakhadeva107 clarifies the meaning of the words “superior to human attributes” (Tib mi’i chos bla ma): According to this doctrine, the five types of impediments [to the three trainings] Are known as human attributes [mi’i chos] And their cessation is asserted as the superior quality [bla ma].108 The five impediments [to the three trainings]—longing for objects of desire, ill-will, sleep and drowsiness, excitement and remorse, and reservations [concerning the doctrine]—are the natural tendencies or attributes of ordinary persons.109 The cessation of those tendencies is “superior” since as a result of their ending, the mental level of higher realms is attained A monk who has incurred any of these four offenses and has concealed the fact for even a single moment110 entirely destroys his ordination They are therefore known as root downfalls No remedy can repair these violations and thus they are known as the four “defeats” or the class of defeating offenses Various details pertain to the downfalls discussed above and below: the circumstances [that determined the prescription of the rules], the negative effects [of incurring a downfall], the result, the attitude, the deed [transgression], its fulfillment, exceptions,111 cases in which there is no downfall [even though one has transgressed the rule], the advice regarding them, etc These details will not be elaborated upon in this work Bright persons can study these details by referring to the works on this subject by the second buddha in this age of conflict, Butön [Rinchen Drup],112 and the Great Commentary on Discipline by the Eighth [Karmapa, Mikyö Dorjé].113 Beginners should refer to the Commentary on the Three Vows by the great translator Dharmashri,114 or the Three Vows by the venerable Pema Karpo,115 or that of the master Wönkarma.116 What should be noted here is that the presence or absence of four complementary aspects—basis, attitude, act, and consummation— determines whether or not a downfall is an actual defeat In the case The Vows of Personal Liberation 109 of sexual intercourse, for example, the basis [for the act] refers to any one of the three unimpaired orifices117 and a healthy and functional male organ.118 The attitude is lust devoid of any fear or shame The act refers to [even] the slightest penetration The consummation refers to the experience of orgasm The defeating offense itself is incurred when all four aspects are present The offense is a serious infraction119 within the [category of] defeats if any one of the aspects is missing In other words, defeating offenses may be major or minor depending on the number of complementary aspects accompanying the act The number of aspects must also be considered in cases of partial defeats and other offenses If one aspect is missing in a partial defeat, the act is referred to as a serious violation within the [category of] partial defeats For all other downfalls, if one aspect is not present, the act is a minor infraction Simply to have intended to pursue the desire [to commit an offense that would be a defeat] is a minor infraction to be restrained from in the future; in addition to the intention, to pursue the act short of consummation is a downfall of plotting In the case of insanity, no downfall is incurred The same applies to other kinds of downfalls While many details are described [in other texts], those are the main points The Partially Defeating Offenses [2"] Ejaculation, touching, and speaking of sexual intercourse to a woman, extolling reverence, Matchmaking, constructing a hut, or a large dwelling, groundless, or trivial accusation, Causing a schism, taking sides, causing a layperson to lose faith, and defiance Constitute the class of partially defeating offenses Any of these offenses is said to leave only a residue of the vows Thirteen offenses constitute the class of partial defeats of the monastic community: (1) Ejaculation means to emit semen through [contact with] a part of one’s body such as the fingers, or a part of another person’s body, with the exception of the three [orifices] of mouth, anus, or vagina ... extensive explanation Overview [aa'] The rules of the monk concern five classes of downfalls The prescribed rules for a monk concern [the avoidance of] five classes of downfalls: the class of defeating... defeating offenses, the class of partially The Vows of Personal Liberation 107 defeating offenses, the class of downfalls [whose restoration involves forfeiture or confession], the class of offenses... must be individually confessed, and the class of minor infractions.102 Extensive Explanation [bb'] This consists of five parts, corresponding to these five classes The Defeating Offenses [1"]