尼羯磨 3.121

3.121

At that time, the World-Honoured One was in Campā by the side of the Gaggara Pool. At the time of the poṣadha on the fifteenth day of the bright half of the month, he was seated in the open air, surrounded before and behind together with the saṃgha. At that time, a bhikṣu reproved another bhikṣu for an offence based on seeing, hearing, or suspicion. When the offence was being reproved, that bhikṣu spoke evasively in reply and then gave rise to anger. The Buddha told the bhikṣus, "You should question that person with careful deliberation. That person is incompetent in the Buddha's Dharma and has no growth [therein]. Just as when weeds and tares grow intermingled with a farmer's crop of sprouts, their sprouts and leaves resemble one another indistinguishably yet cause harm, until they head and bear fruit, when one only then knows their difference from grain; having known that they are not grain, he immediately weeds them out by the roots. Why? Because he fears they will harm the good crop. A bhikṣu is also like this: an evil bhikṣu walks, stands, sits, and lies down, and holds his robes and bowl, indistinguishable from a good bhikṣu, until his offence is exposed; when his offence is exposed, one only then knows his difference as a weed or tare among the bhikṣus. Having known his difference, [the saṃgha] should, in concord, carry out permanent expulsion (nāśanā) to remove him. Why? Because they fear he will obstruct the good bhikṣus. Just as when a farmer winnows grain facing the wind, the good grain remains gathered below, while the chaff and husks are removed following the wind. Why? Because he fears they will spoil the good grain. In this way, an evil bhikṣu walks, comes, enters, and leaves, indistinguishable from a good bhikṣu, until his offence is exposed; when his offence is exposed, one only then knows his foul defilement as chaff and husks among the bhikṣus. Having known this, [the saṃgha] should, in concord, carry out permanent expulsion to remove him. Just as when someone requires timber to make a well-frame, he goes out of the city, holding a sharp axe in his hand, goes to that forest, and strikes all the trees everywhere; if a tree is solid inside, its sound is firm and solid; if it is hollow inside, its sound is empty and brittle. Yet the roots, trunks, branches, and leaves of that hollow tree are no different from those of a solid one, until, when struck, one only then knows it is hollow inside; having known it is hollow inside, he immediately fells it, cuts off its branches and leaves, first removes the rough bark, and then planes and hews it with fine workmanship, making it clean inside and out, to make a well-frame. In this way, an evil bhikṣu walks, comes, enters, leaves, and holds his robes and bowl, his deportment being no different from a good bhikṣu, until his offence is exposed; when his offence is exposed, one only then knows he is a hollow tree, defilement, weed, and tare among śramaṇas. If they know this, they should immediately, in concord, carry out permanent expulsion. Why? Because they fear he will hinder and harm the good bhikṣus." And he spoke a verse, saying: