Saturday, September 12, 2015

“This assembly, Ānanda, is impure.”

Although rare, there was one occasion where a respected monk in the Buddha's sangha used force on another monk. The Buddha was presiding at an assembly and noted that there was a corrupt and immoral monk present. Ven Moggalana identified him with his psychic powers. He then got up from his seat, walked over to the corrupt monk and asked him to leave, several times. But the immoral monk would not leave. So Ven Moggalana grabbed him and threw him out.
Here is the account from the Uposatha sutta AN8:20
“This assembly, Ānanda, is impure.”
Then it occurred to the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna: “What person was the Blessed One referring to when he said: ‘This assembly, Ānanda, is impure’?” Then the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna fixed his attention on the entire Saṅgha of bhikkhus, encompassing their minds with his own mind. He then saw that person sitting in the midst of the Saṅgha of bhikkhus: one who was immoral, of bad character, impure, of suspect behavior, secretive in his actions, not an ascetic though claiming to be one, not a celibate though claiming to be one, inwardly rotten, corrupt, depraved. Having seen him, he rose from his seat, went up to that person, and said to him: “Get up, friend. The Blessed One has seen you. You cannot live in communion with the bhikkhus.” When this was said, that person remained silent.
A second time … A third time the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna said to that person: “Get up, friend. The Blessed One has seen you. You cannot live in communion with the bhikkhus.” A third time that person remained silent.
Then the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna grabbed that person by the arm, evicted him through the outer gatehouse, and bolted the door. Then he returned to the Blessed One and said to him: “I have evicted that person, Bhante. The assembly is pure. Let the Blessed One recite the Pātimokkha to the bhikkhus.”
“It’s astounding and amazing, Moggallāna, how that hollow man waited until he was grabbed by the arm.”

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