On the night of the , Ānanda asks the Buddha three times, in the first, middle and last watches of the night, to recite the rules, and each time the Buddha remains silent. Moggallāna perceives that there is an impure monk in the assembly and leads him outside. The Buddha compares the eight wonderful qualities of the great ocean to eight wonderful qualities of the teaching and the discipline, and announces that from now on he will no longer preside over the uposatha or recite the monastic rules (the pātimokkha) himself; the monks are to recite them themselves.
Different Accounts
The limit: the later commentaries of the Southern tradition say the Buddha recited the rules himself only until the twentieth year after the Awakening; the rule text of the Chinese Dharmaguptaka Vinaya and the Sapoduo pini piposha have twelve years, which would place it after Year 12 after the Awakening; see Year 12.
More differences between accounts (2)
Place: the Udāna, the Aṅguttara Nikāya and the Pali Vinaya of the Southern tradition have the Eastern Park, Migāramātā's Mansion (the hall built by Visākhā) at Sāvatthī; the Zhanbo jing (Discourse at Campā) in the Chinese Madhyama Āgama, the Mahīśāsaka Vinaya and the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya have Campā; the Chinese Ekottarika Āgama has the Jetavana at Sāvatthī (the park donated to the Sangha by Anāthapiṇḍika).
That it was Moggallāna who led the impure monk out is agreed by the canon of the Southern tradition, the Chinese Madhyama Āgama and the others.
Dating
On the “twenty years” view of the later commentaries of the Southern tradition, after Year 21 after the Awakening (the Buddha aged fifty-five or more); on the “twelve years” view, after Year 12. The canonical text states that it was the uposatha night of the fifteenth day of the month, but both limits say only “after so many years”, come from different schools, and give no definite year, so it cannot be fixed to a single year.
Related Entries
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Research Notes: Reliability, Dating and Sources
- How Reliability Is Assessed
Recorded only in the Pali canon of the Southern tradition. Recorded by one school.
- Dating Evidence and Precision
Commentarial dating (the canonical texts give no date; later commentaries record it). Time precision: year uncertain.
Sources
- 巴利三藏巴利 Ud 5.5:1.2
- 巴利三藏巴利 Ud 5.5:8.1–8.2
- 巴利三藏巴利 AN 8.20:1.1
- 巴利三藏巴利 AN 8.20:6.3–6.4
- 巴利三藏巴利律 Kd 19:1.1.1–1.1.2
- 巴利三藏巴利律 Kd 19:2.1.2
- 大正藏大正藏 T01 no.26 p.478b
- 大正藏大正藏 T01 no.26 p.478c
- 大正藏大正藏 T02 no.125 p.786a
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1421 p.181a
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1421 p.180c
- 大正藏大正藏 T23 no.1435 p.240a
- 大正藏大正藏 T23 no.1435 p.239b
- 大正藏大正藏 T24 no.1462 p.708a
- 巴利註解書巴利註釋 Vin-a，§19，PTS 1.187
- 巴利註解書巴利註釋 Ud-a，§45，PTS 0.299
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1429 p.1022c
- 大正藏大正藏 T23 no.1440 p.516a
- 巴利註解書巴利註釋 Vin-a，§19
- 巴利註解書巴利註釋 Ud-a，§45
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1430 p.1030b
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1431 p.1040c
- 巴利三藏巴利律 Kd 19:1.1.2