I understand there are seven levels of transgression or offence... although I'm a little confused here as well, because the lists differ depending on where I look online or in books.
- 1 Parajika
2 Sanghadisesa
3 Aniyata
4 Nissaggiya Pacittiya
5 Pacittiya
6 Patidesaniya
7 Dukkata
8 Dubbhasita
Sanghadisesa means you have to meet with quite a few other monks and confess, and accept a penance agreed on by all of them? How many bhikkhus have to be there, and what kinds of penalties are commonly imposed?
I hear this is a difficult one for monks in western countries, as there usually aren't enough bhikkhus around from the same school, to sort out the sanghadisesa.
Then there is Aniyata, which is "indefinite"... I don't now what that one is about. What happens with that?
I think the remaining ones, Nissaggiya Pacittiya, Pacittiya, Patidesaniya, Dukkata, and Dubbhasitarest... are forfeiture or confession offences, where you can just confess to another single monk who has not committed the same offence? What is the penance commonly imposed for those ones?
Many thanks to anyone who can answer.
With metta
James.