What Are the Effects of Transgressing
Morality?
“Among the four purifying moralities, what are the
bad effects if a monk transgresses basic monastic restraint
(Pātimokkha samvara sīla). What are the good effects if a
monk observes it? Kindly explain the remaining three types
of purifying morality, which may have good or bad effects
according to observance or non-observance.”
In the matter of breaking basic monastic restraint, we
must distinguish two types: offences of defeat, or any of the
six grades of lesser offences. Among the remaining six types
of discipline, offences belong to two classes: offences
according to worldly standards, and offences according to the
rules of Vinaya.
Regarding guilt in the matter of defeat, he commits
the gravest offence in this dispensation. As long as he
remains in robes he is classified as an immoral monk. If he
renounces a monk’s status, he becomes pure even if he does not
immediately reach the status of a layman, a novice, or a
hermit. However, since he remains as an immoral monk in the
Sangha, serious faults and guilt arise as mentioned in the
Aggikkhandhopama Sutta, Ādittapariyāya Sutta, Pindola Sutta,
and others. The Visuddhimagga also explains the gravity of
immorality in detail. Day by day he gathers serious misdeeds.
This immoral status produces grave evils.
We can cite plenty of examples of the bad results for
immoral monks. Some immoral monks during the time of Kassapa
Buddha, who died without renunciation of monk status, were
reborn as hungry ghosts in the Gijjakūta mountain. They
suffered until the time of Gotama Buddha. The Nidānavagga
Samyutta of the Vinaya (under the fourth Pārājika), mentions
their pitiable plight. It is also mentioned in the Vibhanga.
Teachers will explain these texts in detail.
Regarding the remaining six classes of offences, those
who do not undergo the required purification become shameless,
and offend against the Buddha’s discipline, thus getting a
further serious fault. If broken, the Vinaya rules create a
danger called “paññattikkama antarā,” a danger obtained
from breaking the Buddha’s command. So immoral monks can
attain neither jhāna, nor the path and its fruition. Moreover,
when they die, they suffer in hell. Shameless monks suffer
likewise. We will cite an example here as support for this
statement.
In the Dhammapada commentary, a monk suffered for his
misdeeds and was reborn as Erakapatta nāga. Even breaking
minor precepts without knowledge, if they are guilty according
to the worldly rules and regulations, creates bad results. See
the cases of the ogres Sūciloma and Kharaloma. They broke the
ordinary precepts of the world and were reborn as spirits or
ogres. As for the good results for the observance of morality,
the Visuddhimagga has mentioned them in detail. Moreover,
Visuddhārāma Mahāthera mentions the respective good and bad
results clearly in the Paramatthasarūpabhedānī The good or bad
results of observing or breaking the remaining three
moralities can be found in that book.
In the Jātaka commentary (ekanipāta) one who
breaks the morality of reflection on the use of requisites
suffers in the lower realms. One monk was reborn as a louse
due to attachment to his robes. The Vinaya experts and ancient
teachers say that attachment to allowable things lawfully
acquired does not amount to full commission of evil leading to
hell (akusalakammapathā). So here the bad results the
monk suffered are due to attachment, and other serious Vinaya
guilt. |
