Expression of Regret Offenses
One Hundred and Ten Expression of Regret Offenses (Payantika)
1. A bhikshu who masturbates, except in a dream,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
2. A bhikshu who makes an appointment to go
outside the monastery alone with a laywoman or a
nun, commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
3. A bhikshu who sits alone in a hidden or solitary
place with a laywoman or a nun, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
4. A bhikshu who sits alone in a car or on a boat
with a laywoman or a nun except in the case of an
emergency or with the permission of the Sangha,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
5. A bhikshu who writes a letter or gives a gift to a
laywoman or a nun in order to show his feeling of
affection for her or to win her heart, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
6. A bhikshu who is sick, and refuses to ask for
help from his fellow monks or laymen but instead
allows one or more nuns or laywomen to look after
him and bring him food, commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
7. A bhikshu who makes a telephone call to
someone of the opposite sex at night, except in an
emergency when he has let his fellow practitioners
know that he is making this call, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
8. A bhikshu who after having been reminded by
four or more bhikshus that he is emotionally
attached to another person, whether female or
male, and who refuses to listen, denies it, tries to
negate what they say, or expresses anger, commits
an Expression of Regret Offense.
9. A bhikshu who intentionally watches animals
copulating, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
10. A bhikshu who tells stories about sexual
relations which he has seen on films, read in books,
or heard others tell, commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
11. A bhikshu who knows that a man has an
incurable disease, is trying to avoid paying debts,
has broken a criminal law, or does not have the
agreement of his wife or children to ordain, and still
allows that person to receive the Novice Precepts,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
12. A bhikshu who knows that a novice monk is
not yet twenty years old or has not been accepted
by the Sangha as an ordinee and still allows him to
receive the Bhikshu Precepts, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
13. A bhikshu who has not changed his roommate
after eight months, except with the permission of
the Sangha, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
14. A bhikshu who hits another person in anger or
out of resentment commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
15. A bhikshu who swears himself to one of the
three unwholesome destinies during an argument,
such as by saying “If I am lying, I will go to hell,”
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
16. A bhikshu who forces someone to swear an
oath commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
17. A bhikshu who says what is not true, adds or
omits important details, speaks vulgar words to
insult others, or speaks words that cause hatred
and division, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
18. A bhikshu who argues angrily in a loud voice
and is gently encouraged by another bhikshu that
he should say no more but return to his breathing
or go outside to practice walking meditation in
order to guard his mind, and who does not listen
and continues to argue in a loud voice, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
19. A bhikshu who is offered guidance by a fellow
practitioner concerning his shortcomings in the
practice, and not only does not receive the
guidance with gratitude and respect by joining his
palms, but tries to find ways to defend himself, to
avoid the subject, or to excuse himself by bringing
up the shortcomings of others, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
20. A bhikshu who repeatedly speaks in a way
that indirectly refers to the wrongdoing done in the
past by another bhikshu, commits an Expression
of Regret Offense.
21. A bhikshu who brings up another bhikshu’s
past offense, although the bhikshu has already
been cleared of that offense with a Sanghakarman
Procedure, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
22. A bhikshu who interrogates or reprimands
other monks in the Sangha in the presence of
laypeople or during a meal, putting them in a
difficult situation, commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
23. A bhikshu who threatens or frightens another
bhikshu in such a way that the other becomes
fearful and loses his motivation, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
24. A bhikshu who is requested to come and
resolve a conflict with someone and continuously
finds ways to avoid being present to make the
reconciliation, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
25. A bhikshu who refuses to accept someone
else’s apology, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
26. A bhikshu who allows his anger to continue up
to seven days and still has no intention to practice
reconciliation and Beginning Anew, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
27. A bhikshu who, out of hatred or
discrimination, repeatedly and aggressively
disputes in words or writing with other ideologies
or religious faiths instead of devoting himself to his
studies and practice, commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
28. A bhikshu who, because of resentment with his
fellow practitioners, does not seek help from the
Sangha to find ways of reconciliation and instead
leaves the community to go somewhere else or
goes to stay with his family for a while and then
comes back again, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
29. A bhikshu who does not practice to restore
communication with his fellow practitioners but
only complains to laypeople about difficulties and
conflicts in the Sangha, commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
30. A bhikshu who does not use loving speech and
deep listening to resolve the difficulties and
disputes that have arisen between him and another
monk, but instead only goes to complain to and
seek an ally in one person after another, commits
an Expression of Regret Offense.
31. A bhikshu who, upon hearing another monk
complain about his difficulties with a third monk,
makes no effort to bring about reconciliation
between them, and instead allies himself with the
monk who has complained to him in order to
oppose the third monk, commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
32. A bhikshu who goes to another monastery and
talks about the shortcomings and weaknesses of
his former monastery in a complaining and
reproachful way, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
33. A bhikshu who claims to be up to date with
the modern way of life and looks down
disrespectfully at his teacher for being outdated
and out of touch, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
34. A bhikshu who knows that the Sangha is about
to meet to perform Sanghakarman Procedures, and
who finds ways not to be present or pretends to
be unwell and does not ask to be represented,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
35. A bhikshu who has already performed a
Sanghakarman Procedure with the Sangha but is
still annoyed and displeased about the meeting and
tells someone else that he is against the
Sanghakarman Procedure that has been realized,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
36. A bhikshu who has formally asked someone to
represent him at a Sangha meeting and afterwards,
feeling regret, looks for ways to deny the
resolution that has been realized by Sanghakarman
Procedure, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
37. A bhikshu who does not put into effect, or
encourages someone else to not put into effect a
resolution that has been taken by the Sangha under
the Sanghakarman Procedure, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
38. A bhikshu who knows that another bhikshu or
bhikshuni has committed a Degradation Offense
and, in order to bring disrepute on this person, tells
someone else about it who is not a bhikshu or
bhikshuni before the Sangha has performed the
Sanghakarman Procedure to affirm the offense,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
39. A bhikshu who talks about the faults of
another monk when that monk is not present,
except in the case of the practice of Shining Light,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
40. A bhikshu who sees that a fellow monk is sick
and does not ask about his condition and look after
him or find someone else to look after him,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
41. A bhikshu who has been assigned by the
Sangha to distribute items among Sangha members,
but out of favoritism gives more to some monks
and less to others, or refuses to give anything to a
monk with whom he does not get along well,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
42. A bhikshu who closes his eyes before suffering
within himself and in the world and only takes
comfort in laypeople’s offerings, forgetting that
the aim of the practice is to find ways to transform
suffering into peace and joy, after having been
warned by three other bhikshus without listening
deeply and changing his way, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
43. A bhikshu who sees that his fellow practitioner
is about to commit an offense and says nothing to
dissuade him against it or to let other bhikshus
know so they can dissuade him against it, commits
an Expression of Regret Offense.
44. A bhikshu who is narrow-minded, attached to
his views, and maintains that the knowledge he
presently possesses is absolute and unchanging,
refusing to be open to receive the viewpoints and
insights of others, after having been warned by
three other bhikshus and still refusing to alter his
attitude, commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
45. A bhikshu who uses authority, bribery, threat,
propaganda, or indoctrination to force others,
including children, to adopt his view, who does not
respect the right of others to be different or their
freedom to choose what to believe and how to
decide, after having been warned by three other
bhikshus and still refusing to alter his attitude,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
46. A bhikshu who has relatives who are monks or
nuns and uses his authority to protect them when
they act wrongly or seeks ways to give them
priority or privilege commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
47. A bhikshu who relies on his sphere of influence
due to the office he holds in the Sangha in order to
overpower another bhikshu who is his senior in
years of ordination commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
48. A bhikshu who uses his authority to force
another bhikshu to take his side in opposing a
proposal which is about to be realized by a
Sanghakarman Procedure commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
49. A bhikshu who is attached to his title or
position of seniority in the Sangha, and becomes
angry or annoyed when someone does not address
him according to his position or tells that person
that they should correct their way of addressing
him, commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
50. A bhikshu who only gives special treatment to
his own disciples and fails to care for other
students who come to ask him for mentorship,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
51. A bhikshu who encourages another monk to
take his side so that he can have more power to
overtake fellow practitioners, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
52. A bhikshu who encourages another monk to
leave his teacher and root temple in order to set up
his own hermitage or go to another monastery,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
53. A bhikshu who speaks in a sweet and
exaggerating way to win someone’s heart or
complains and cries to arouse others’ sympathy
for himself, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
54. A bhikshu who spreads news that he does not
know to be certain or criticizes and condemns
things of which he is not sure, in order to gain
money, material benefits, or admiration for himself,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
55. A bhikshu who, after having received donations
from a layperson, defends that layperson and
oppresses other monks or nuns, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
56. A bhikshu who accepts disciples not with the
purpose to teach and nurture them on the path of
practice but only to serve his own reputation or
his personal work, commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
57. A bhikshu who forces the monks to work hard
growing crops, manufacturing things to sell, or
performing spiritual services for money in order to
increase the income of the monastery and thus
does not allow them enough time for their studies
and practice, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
58. A bhikshu who pretends that he has a serious
illness in order to be cared for by donors or to
receive donations commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
59. A bhikshu who takes advantage of charitable
organizations associated with the temple in order
to gather additional possessions for himself or his
monastery, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
60. A bhikshu who criticizes and looks down on an
offering made by a donor to the Sangha, commits
an Expression of Regret Offense.
61. A bhikshu who accepts offerings from
laypeople but does not truly practice to transform
himself and says that it is the duty of laypeople to
bring him offerings, commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
62. A bhikshu who goes to a nunnery to complain
about his lack of material resources in order to
receive an offering, commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
63. A bhikshu who only meets with people who
are rich or intellectual, and out of discrimination
does not show concern for those who are poor or
uneducated, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
64. A bhikshu who steals money or belongings of
another person, tells someone else to steal them, or
sees someone stealing them without finding ways
to prevent it, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
65. A bhikshu who breaks the promise he has
made to a layperson and thus makes the person
angry and critical of the monastic Sangha, commits
an Expression of Regret Offense.
66. A bhikshu who avoids heavy work and looks
for light work, except in the case of illness or if he
is weak and has poor health, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
67. A bhikshu who assesses the value of someone
by the work he does, forgetting that the quality of
a monk’s practice is more important than the
amount of work he accomplishes, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
68. A bhikshu who is not aware that the
responsibility of a monastic is to offer concrete
practices which help people transform their
suffering, but instead focuses all his energy on
charitable works, forcing the Sangha to work so
hard that they neglect their program of spiritual
studies and practice, commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
69. A bhikshu who accepts hired work to earn
some money for himself, not recognizing that his
monastery already has the resources to support his
material needs and spiritual studies and practice,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
70. A bhikshu who tells people’s fortunes (by
reading palms, astrology, or other means) or burns
paper money for the deceased in order to earn
some money, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
71. A bhikshu who eats a non-vegetarian meal,
even though he excuses himself by saying that he
lacks nutrition, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
72. A bhikshu who neglects the practice activities
of the Sangha in order to produce luxurious and
fancy dishes using expensive ingredients, without
considering that so many people in the world are
suffering from hunger and forgetting that he has
committed himself to live the simple life of a
monk, commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
73. A bhikshu who eats apart from the Sangha and
eats in his room, except when he is sick or is
unable to eat with the Sangha due to Sangha
service, commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
74. A bhikshu who drinks beer, wine, or liquor of
any kind, or takes any other substance that causes
inebriation, except for medicinal use with the
permission of the Bhikshu Sangha, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
75. A bhikshu who enters a bar or a dimly lit
coffee shop to have a drink or to sit and watch
people come and go, commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
76. A bhikshu who goes to a layperson’s house or
a restaurant to attend a birthday party, an
engagement reception, or a wedding reception,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
77. A bhikshu who celebrates his birthday in a
layperson’s house or a restaurant, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
78. A bhikshu who goes as a spectator to sports
games, cinema, or worldly concerts commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
79. A bhikshu who rents and watches videos, or
reads books and magazines which have a toxic
effect, watering the seeds of sexual desire, fear,
violence, sentimental weakness, and depression,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
80. A bhikshu who watches television programs
which have a toxic effect, watering the seeds of
sexual desire, fear, violence, sentimental weakness,
and depression, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
81. A bhikshu who goes on to the Internet alone
without another monk next to him as a protection
against getting lost in toxic Websites commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
82. A bhikshu who consumes images or sounds
which excite sexual desire from the Internet or the
telephone, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
83. A bhikshu who listens to or performs songs or
music that is sad, sentimental, romantic, or exciting
(such as rock music), commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
84. A bhikshu who plays electronic games,
including those on a mobile phone or a computer,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
85. A bhikshu who gambles or bets on horse races,
car races, and other sports, commits an Expression
of Regret Offense.
86. A bhikshu who drives in a careless and
dangerous manner, speeding, swerving between
cars, recklessly passing other cars, accelerating too
quickly, or racing with another car, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
87. A bhikshu who marches down the street
clapping his hands, shouting, waving a flag, or
throwing flowers to show support for a sports
team, commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
88. A bhikshu who goes to watch military drills or
preparations for battle, people fighting or arguing
with each other, a martial art performance, or a
magic show, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
89. A bhikshu who goes to watch animals fighting
or provokes animals to fight with each other,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
90. A bhikshu who abuses animals or takes their
bones, horns, or skin to create artwork or
decorations, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
91. A bhikshu who does not cultivate compassion
and learn ways to protect the lives of animals, who
kills an animal himself, gives consent for an animal
to be killed, or does not prevent someone else from
killing an animal, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
92. A bhikshu who pollutes the environment, by
burning and destroying forests or by using toxic
chemicals, for example, commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
93. A bhikshu who intentionally allows his hair
and beard to grow long, commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
94. A bhikshu who is not aware that the true
beauty of a monk is found in his solidity and
freedom, and instead spends too much time and
care in dressing himself in order to create an outer
show of attractiveness, commits an Expression of
Regret Offense.
95. A bhikshu who when going into a town, village,
or market wears lay clothing or a wig, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
96. A bhikshu who separates himself from the
Sangha and rents his own lodgings, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
97. A bhikshu who sleeps overnight in a
layperson’s house, even for Sangha service, and at
least one other male practitioner does not
accompany him, except in special circumstances
with the permission of the Sangha, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
98. A bhikshu who stays longer than one week in a
layperson’s house, except with the permission of
the Sangha, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
99. A bhikshu who commits himself to a special
relationship with a layperson by asking that
person to be his father, mother, brother, sister,
son, daughter, or grandchild, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
100. A bhikshu who undertakes a course of study
with the purpose of being awarded a bachelor’s
degree, master’s degree, or doctorate in engineering,
medicine, pharmacy, or other worldly subjects,
except in the case that the course is in Buddhist
studies, commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
101. A bhikshu who spends all his time studying
worldly subjects, therefore neglecting to learn
spiritual teachings and practice, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
102. A bhikshu who immerses himself in and is
carried away by his work and as a result fails to
maintain good relationships between himself and
other members of the Sangha, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
103. A bhikshu who leaves his mentor before he
has completed his fifth Rains’ Retreat, or even
after this time if his practice is still weak, commits
an Expression of Regret Offense.
104. A bhikshu who does not complete the threemonth
Rains’ Retreat once a year, commits an
Expression of Regret Offense.
105. A bhikshu who goes outside the officially
declared boundaries of the Rains’ Retreat for an
equal or greater number of days than he is within
these boundaries, even if his reason for going
outside is to teach, study, or do charitable work,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
106. A bhikshu who transmits the Bhikshu
Precepts without yet completing ten Rains’
Retreats, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
107. A bhikshu who has not mastered the Vinaya
and who performs a Sanghakarman Procedure or
makes the affirmation of an offense in a way which
is not in accordance with the Vinaya, thus causing
the Sangha to lose its peace, joy, and harmony,
commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
108. A bhikshu who complains about the precepts
and fine manners, saying that the articles presented
are bothersome, too complicated, too detailed, not
truly necessary, or that they take away one’s
freedom, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
109. A bhikshu who does not recite the
Pratimoksha with the Sangha at least once in three
months, unless he has a long-lasting and serious
illness, commits an Expression of Regret Offense.
110. A bhikshu who has not yet begun to study
the Classical Pratimoksha in parallel with the
Revised Pratimoksha after one year of receiving the
full ordination, commits an Expression of Regret
Offense.
From Freedom Wherever We Go by Thich Nhat Hanh