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JOURNAL R. A. S. (CEYLON). [Vol. III. 



the officiating priest connnences the service, by enquiring if 

 the room has been swept, the seats arranged, and water 

 provided for drinking. He then proceeds to enquire, if 

 there be any objection to the meeting being held, and 

 whether it be the proper time for the recital of the 

 Pdtimokkha. 



After these preliminaries, he states, that with the 

 permission of the Sangha, he will conduct the service, 

 and that after each section of the Pdtimokkha has been 

 read, the question will be put thrice, " Are all the members 

 present free from the breach of any one of these precepts ?'' 

 If any one be guilty, he is to confess it : if he be free 

 from guilt, he is to remain silent. They are reminded 

 that this is an appeal to each person, and that to remain 

 silent when they know themselves to be guilty, is a great 

 crime. He then recites the four precepts contained in the 

 Pdrdjika section. 



The Pdrdjika Section. 



[The penalty attached to a breach of any one of these 

 four precepts is permanent expulsion from the body.] 



I. — A priest not having confessed his inability to obey 

 the rules binding on the priesthood, and thus withdrawing 

 himself from the community, who shall have carnal inter- 

 course with any being, human, animal, or super-human, is 

 Pdrdjika, and is expelled. 



I I. —Any priest , who, with a dishonest intent ion, shall 

 appropriate to himself any property, (to the amount of one 

 rupee or more.) which has not been given to him, is Pdrdjika, 

 and is expelled. 



III. A priest who is guilty of taking away human 

 life, or is in any way accessary to that act, either by word 

 or deed, is Pdrdjika, and is expelled. 



IV. —A priest who shall falsely assume a high spiritual 

 character, and the super-human power connected with that 

 character, is Parajiko, and is expelled. 



