BUDDHISM. 



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pilfering and theft. Bhagawa speedily collected his Bhikkhus, 

 censured Dhaniyo, and declared, that if any Bhikkhu with a 

 dishonest purpose shall take a thing not given, he shall become 

 guilty of a Parajika and excommunicate. Several hundreds of 

 instances are then given of the Bhikkhus evading or endea- 

 vouring to evade Bhagawa's enactments, by taking goods from 

 places which he had not then specified, or of such a value as 

 not to come within the definition of the Parajika fault. Thus 

 when Bhagawa had prohibited taking things in the jungle, the 

 Bhikkhus took from the villages, and when that had been pro- 

 hibited, they said the command applied only to things on the 

 ground, and took those which were on a table or any other 

 article of furniture ; things suspended in the air, in the water, 

 &c. The Pada is mentioned as the value necessary to make 

 the fault a Parajika. This was a coin of gold or silver equal 

 to five masas, the latter weighing about grains each. 



There are three degrees of guilt mentioned as connected 

 with stealing any article : — (1) Approaching, examining and 

 feeling with a dishonest purpose the property of another is a 

 Dukkata fault; one only requiring confession to a superior 

 Bhikkhu. 



(2.) Shaking the article is a Thullachchaya fault, only 

 a little greater, and atoned for by confession. 



(3.) Removing it from its place is a Parajika. 



We now proceed to give a brief summary of the Third 

 Parajika, called Manussa Wiggaha Parajika, which relates to 

 murder. This too opens with the story of Migalandaka 

 Bhikkhu, who, for the purpose of appropriating to himself 

 the bowl and robes of the Bhikkhus, went about sword in 

 hand and promised any one who wished speedy deliverance 

 from this evil world and admission into a better, to fulfil their 

 desire by the weapon he carried about with him. It seems that 



