APPENDIX B: THE MāNATTA RITUAL

A description of the ritual taken from the Wu fen lü, or Mahīshāsaka-vinaya, T. 22:186.b-c:

"We now ask for the semimonthly mānatta ceremony. We wish that the Assembly of Monks will give us the semimonthly mānatta ceremony." Request in this manner three times, and in response a monk will recite: "Listen, Great Assembly of Monks. This nun N. N. has committed a serious offense [Sanskrit: sanghāvashesa; or Pali: sanghādiseasa ] and from the Assembly of Monks asks for the semimonthly mānatta ceremony. The monks' assembly is now giving the mānatta ceremony." If it is suitable, then they will permit it. He speaks thus: "Listen, great Assembly of Monks. This nun N. N. has committed a serious offense and from the Assembly of Monks asks for the semimonthly mānatta ceremony. The Assembly of Monks is now giving the mānatta ceremony. All elders who are willing to permit it remain silent. Those who do not, speak up." This is repeated three times. "The monks' assembly has granted the semimonthly mānatta ceremony. Because the monks' assembly has kept silent, perform it thus: The monks' assembly has permitted the mānatta. You should rise in the morning and sweep and sprinkle everywhere in the nuns' residence —all cells, ponds, walls, and ground. You should fill up all those places that require water. You should do everything that can be done. If a guest nun comes or a nun leaves, you should address her. Furthermore, you should take a nun as a companion and go to the monks' residence, and there everything that should be done you should do as above. If a guest monk comes or a monk leaves, you also should address him. At dusk you return to the nuns' residence. Do this for half a month. In the presence of twenty monks and twenty nuns perform the ritual for expiating offenses according to the monks' method."