Arguments 3

  • Pc 77, Provoking anxiety
  • Pc 78, Eavesdropping in an argument
  • Pc 63, Reopen a closed issue
  • Pc 79, Complaining about a community decision
  • Pc 80, Leaving a community meeting
  • Pc 81, Complaining about favouritism

Pc 77, Provoking anxiety

Telling a bhikkhu that he might have broken a rule, or otherwise deliberately provoking his anxiety, thinking, 'This way, even for just a moment, he will have no peace.'

Result is a factor, the bhikkhu has to experience anxiety even for a moment.

There is no offense in discussing offenses out of genuine concern, or for the sake of clarifying the training.

Pc 78, Eavesdropping

Deliberately listening in while others are in argument or other discussion, only for the sake of using what they say against them, even if only for making them feel embarrassed.

Reading a bhikkhu's private documents (papers, files, emails) also fulfils Effort.

When one has business to do where some others are debating an issue, one should cough or otherwise signal being present.

Pc 63, Reopen a closed issue

Relevant issues may be disputes, accusations, offenses, or relating to duties.

The purpose of the rule is to avoid burdening and encumbering a community, only to satisfy one bhikkhu's personal agenda.

Once an issue has been discussed and dealt with properly, agitating to re-open it fulfils Effort: 'They are inexperienced and dealt with it poorly. That's not the way to do it.'

Intention: one knows that the issue was dealt with properly (but perhaps is not content to follow the agreement).

The rule applies to decisions in the past, or when one was not present at the meeting. One implicitly agrees to such established decisions by asking to live at a monastery, expressed by asking for dependence (nissaya) and other protocols.

Non-offenses

  • Re-opening an issue when it was in fact not dealt with properly
    • not in accordance with the rules, decision by an incomplete group, unjustified penalties, etc.
  • New matters arising out of old decisions are new issues

Pc 79, Complaining about a community decision

Origin: Some group-of-six bhikkhus don't want to go to a meeting and send their consent (chanda). The bhikkhus use the opportunity to make a decision against them. The group-of-six bhikkhus complain that they wouldn't have consented to that.

Community transactions have to be carried out with all the bhikkhus present, who are currently within the monastery area. The Pāṭimokkha recitation at the uposatha-kamma is one example.

There is allowance for one to be absent (such as when being too sick) by sending one's consent (chanda) to whatever decisions are made at the meeting.

A valid transaction has to be carried out by a complete assembly, in order to prevent small factions making independent decisions.

"All the bhikkhus of common affiliation within the territory are either present at the meeting (sitting within hatthapāsa) or have given their consent by proxy, and no one -- in the course of the transaction -- makes a valid protest against its being carried out." (Mv.IX.3.5-6)

Non-offenses

  • the decision was not in accordance with the rule
  • incomplete assembly
  • unjustified penalties

Pc 80, Leaving a community meeting

Origin: one group-of-six bhikkhu leaves a meeting in order to prevent a transaction being carried out against him.

In order for the transaction relating to a bhikkhu be valid, has to be either present or given his consent.

Effort: he goes beyond hatthapāsa of the bhikkhus in the meeting without first giving his consent.

There is no offense if one leaves the meeting for a different purpose, such as being ill, can't wait to use the toilet, or thinking 'I'll be right back.'

Nonetheless, it is better to give one's consent before leaving the meeting.

Leaving the Pāṭimokkha recitation and coming back (e.g. toilet break) doesn't invalidate the uposathakamma, and the recitation does not have to be started from the beginning. The group may wait for the bhikkhu to return before making decisions, so that they can carry out other saṅghakamma together.

The reason for joining a saṅghakamma is generally avoided is that when a larger group of bhikkhus is joining a smaller group, they could overrule decisions.

Pc 81, Complaining about favouritism

The community is not allowed to transfer the ownership of garubhaṇḍa articles (land, dwelling, furniture, expensive tools, etc.) to individual bhikkhus.

Light or inexpensive (lahubhaṇḍa) articles may be given to an individual with the proper procedure.

There may be a formal meeting and community transaction, or an informal meeting where the community members may object.

Complaining after one has not objected to the article being given to an individual, fulfils Effort.

There is no offense to complain out of valid concerns (as in Pc 13, criticizing a community official), such as habitual favouritism, anger, delusion or fear, which means the transaction was invalid.