What is the difference between an offense entailing confession(pācittiya) and an offense of wrong conduct (dukkaṭa)? Does an offense of wrong conduct also require a confession?
From Bhūtārocanasikkhāpada in the Vinaya:
‘If a monk truthfully tells a person who is not fully ordained of a superhuman quality, he commits an offense entailing confession.’”
“Yo pana bhikkhu anupasampannassa uttarimanussadhammaṁ āroceyya bhūtasmiṁ, pācittiyan”ti.
From Khuddakavatthukkhandhaka in the Vinaya:
“You shouldn’t show a superhuman ability, a wonder of supernormal power, to householders.
If you do, you commit an offense of wrong conduct.
“na, bhikkhave, gihīnaṁ uttarimanussadhammaṁ iddhipāṭihāriyaṁ dassetabbaṁ.
Yo dasseyya, āpatti dukkaṭassa.
The commentary to Khuddakavatthukkhandhaka say this:
Here, under “psychic miracle,” the miracle of transformation (vikubbanā-iddhi-pāṭihāriya) is prohibited.
But determination-iddhi is not prohibited.
“Iddhipāṭihāriyanti ettha vikubbaniddhipāṭihāriyaṃ paṭikkhittaṃ, adhiṭṭhāniddhi pana appaṭikkhittāti veditabbā.”
I don’t know if we should follow the commentary on this one because the Khuddakavatthukkhandhaka shows this display of power of flight to lay people as not allowable in this context.
On one occasion a wealthy merchant of Rājagaha had obtained a valuable block of sandalwood.
He thought,
“Why don’t I have a bowl carved from this block of sandal?
I’d use the chips myself, but give the bowl away as a gift.”
He then had a bowl carved, put it in a carrying net, hung it at the end of a succession of vertical bamboo poles, and announced,
“I’ll give this bowl to any perfected monastic or brahmin who brings it down by supernormal power.”Pūraṇa Kassapa went to that merchant and said,
“I’m perfected and have supernormal powers. Give me the bowl.”“If you’re perfected and have supernormal powers, then bring it down and it’s yours.”
The same thing happened with Makkhali Gosāla,
Ajita Kesakambala,
Pakudha Kaccāyana,
Sañcaya Belaṭṭhaputta,
and the Jain ascetic from Ñātika.Soon afterwards, after robing up in the morning, Venerable Mahāmoggallāna and Venerable Piṇḍola Bhāradvāja took their bowls and robes and entered Rājagaha for alms.
Piṇḍola Bhāradvāja said to Mahāmoggallāna,
“Venerable, you’re perfected and have supernormal powers.
If you go and bring down that bowl,
it’s yours.”“Venerable, you too are perfected and have supernormal powers.
If you bring it down,
it’s yours.”Piṇḍola Bhāradvāja then rose into the air, took hold of that bowl, and circled around Rājagaha three times.
Just then that merchant, together with his wives and children, was standing in his own house, raising his joined palms in homage, thinking,
“May Venerable Piṇḍola Bhāradvāja land right here at our house.”
And Piṇḍola Bhāradvāja did just that.
The merchant then took the bowl from his hands, filled it with expensive fresh foods, and gave it back to Piṇḍola Bhāradvāja,
who then left for the monastery.People heard
that Piṇḍola Bhāradvāja had taken down the merchant’s bowl,
and making a great uproar, they followed right behind him.
Hearing all the noise,
the Buddha asked Venerable Ānanda what it was,
and Ānanda told him what had happened.Soon afterwards the Buddha had the Sangha of monks gathered and questioned Piṇḍola Bhāradvāja:
“Is it true, Bhāradvāja, that you brought down that merchant’s bowl?”“It’s true, sir.”
The Buddha rebuked him,
“It’s not suitable, Bhāradvāja, it’s not proper, it’s not worthy of a monastic, it’s not allowable, it’s not to be done.
How could you show a superhuman ability, a wonder of supernormal power, to householders for the sake of a miserable wooden bowl?
It’s just like a woman showing her private parts for a miserable māsaka coin.
This will affect people’s confidence …”
After rebuking him …
the Buddha gave a teaching and addressed the monks:“You shouldn’t show a superhuman ability, a wonder of supernormal power, to householders.
If you do, you commit an offense of wrong conduct.Now destroy that wooden bowl and turn it into splinters. Give these to the monks to use as scent in ointments.
And you shouldn’t use a wooden bowl.
If you do, you commit an offense of wrong conduct.”
Tena kho pana samayena rājagahakassa seṭṭhissa mahagghassa candanassa candanagaṇṭhi uppannā hoti. Variant: candanassa → candanasārassa (bj, sya-all, pts1ed)
Atha kho rājagahakassa seṭṭhissa etadahosi—
“yannūnāhaṁ imāya candanagaṇṭhiyā pattaṁ lekhāpeyyaṁ.
Lekhañca me paribhogaṁ bhavissati, pattañca dānaṁ dassāmī”ti.
Atha kho rājagahako seṭṭhi tāya candanagaṇṭhiyā pattaṁ lekhāpetvā sikkāya uḍḍitvā veḷagge ālaggetvā veḷuparamparāya bandhitvā evamāha— Variant: bandhitvā → vāhitvā (sya-all); uḍḍitvā → vāhitvā (bj); pakkhipitvā (pts1ed)
“yo samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā arahā ceva iddhimā ca dinnaṁyeva pattaṁ oharatū”ti.Atha kho pūraṇo kassapo yena rājagahako seṭṭhi tenupasaṅkami, upasaṅkamitvā rājagahakaṁ seṭṭhiṁ etadavoca—
“ahañhi, gahapati, arahā ceva iddhimā ca, dehi me pattan”ti.“Sace, bhante, āyasmā arahā ceva iddhimā ca dinnaṁyeva pattaṁ oharatū”ti.
Atha kho makkhali gosālo …
ajito kesakambalo …
pakudho kaccāyano …
sañcayo belaṭṭhaputto … Variant: sañcayo belaṭṭhaputto → sañjayo bellaṭṭhiputto (bj, pts1ed); sañjayo Veḷaṭṭhaputto (sya-all)
nigaṇṭho nāṭaputto yena rājagahako seṭṭhi tenupasaṅkami, upasaṅkamitvā rājagahakaṁ seṭṭhiṁ etadavoca— Variant: nāṭaputto → nātaputto (bj, pts1ed); nigaṇṭho → niggaṇṭho (sya-all)
“ahañhi, gahapati, arahā ceva iddhimā ca, dehi me pattan”ti.
“Sace, bhante, āyasmā arahā ceva iddhimā ca, dinnaṁyeva pattaṁ oharatū”ti.Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā ca mahāmoggallāno āyasmā ca piṇḍolabhāradvājo pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya rājagahaṁ piṇḍāya pavisiṁsu.
Atha kho āyasmā piṇḍolabhāradvājo āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ etadavoca—
“āyasmā kho mahāmoggallāno arahā ceva iddhimā ca.
Gacchāvuso, moggallāna, etaṁ pattaṁ ohara.
Tuyheso patto”ti.“Āyasmā kho bhāradvājo arahā ceva iddhimā ca.
Gacchāvuso, bhāradvāja, etaṁ pattaṁ ohara.
Tuyheso patto”ti.Atha kho āyasmā piṇḍolabhāradvājo vehāsaṁ abbhuggantvā taṁ pattaṁ gahetvā tikkhattuṁ rājagahaṁ anupariyāyi.
Tena kho pana samayena rājagahako seṭṭhi saputtadāro sake nivesane ṭhito hoti pañjaliko namassamāno—
idheva, bhante, ayyo bhāradvājo amhākaṁ nivesane patiṭṭhātūti.
Atha kho āyasmā piṇḍolabhāradvājo rājagahakassa seṭṭhissa nivesane patiṭṭhāsi.
Atha kho rājagahako seṭṭhi āyasmato piṇḍolabhāradvājassa hatthato pattaṁ gahetvā mahagghassa khādanīyassa pūretvā āyasmato piṇḍolabhāradvājassa adāsi.
Atha kho āyasmā piṇḍolabhāradvājo taṁ pattaṁ gahetvā ārāmaṁ agamāsi.Assosuṁ kho manussā—
ayyena kira piṇḍolabhāradvājena rājagahakassa seṭṭhissa patto ohāritoti.
Te ca manussā uccāsaddā mahāsaddā āyasmantaṁ piṇḍolabhāradvājaṁ piṭṭhito piṭṭhito anubandhiṁsu.
Assosi kho bhagavā uccāsaddaṁ mahāsaddaṁ;
sutvāna āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ āmantesi—
“kiṁ nu kho so, ānanda, uccāsaddo mahāsaddo”ti?
“Āyasmatā, bhante, piṇḍolabhāradvājena rājagahakassa seṭṭhissa patto ohārito.
Assosuṁ kho, bhante, manussā—
ayyena kira piṇḍolabhāradvājena rājagahakassa seṭṭhissa patto ohāritoti.
Te ca, bhante, manussā uccāsaddā mahāsaddā āyasmantaṁ piṇḍolabhāradvājaṁ piṭṭhito piṭṭhito anubandhā.
So eso, bhante, bhagavā uccāsaddo mahāsaddo”ti.Atha kho bhagavā etasmiṁ nidāne etasmiṁ pakaraṇe bhikkhusaṅghaṁ sannipātāpetvā āyasmantaṁ piṇḍolabhāradvājaṁ paṭipucchi—
“saccaṁ kira tayā, bhāradvāja, rājagahakassa seṭṭhissa patto ohārito”ti?“Saccaṁ, bhagavā”ti.
Vigarahi buddho bhagavā—
“ananucchavikaṁ, bhāradvāja, ananulomikaṁ appatirūpaṁ assāmaṇakaṁ akappiyaṁ akaraṇīyaṁ.
Kathañhi nāma tvaṁ, bhāradvāja, chavassa dārupattassa kāraṇā gihīnaṁ uttari manussadhammaṁ iddhipāṭihāriyaṁ dassessasi.
Seyyathāpi, bhāradvāja, mātugāmo chavassa māsakarūpassa kāraṇā kopinaṁ dasseti;
evameva kho tayā, bhāradvāja, chavassa dārupattassa kāraṇā gihīnaṁ uttari manussadhammaṁ iddhipāṭihāriyaṁ dassitaṁ.
Netaṁ, bhāradvāja, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya …pe…
vigarahitvā …pe…
dhammiṁ kathaṁ katvā bhikkhū āmantesi—“na, bhikkhave, gihīnaṁ uttarimanussadhammaṁ iddhipāṭihāriyaṁ dassetabbaṁ.
Yo dasseyya, āpatti dukkaṭassa.Bhindathetaṁ, bhikkhave, dārupattaṁ sakalikaṁ sakalikaṁ katvā, bhikkhūnaṁ añjanupapisanaṁ detha.
Na ca, bhikkhave, dārupatto dhāretabbo.
Yo dhāreyya, āpatti dukkaṭassā”ti.