[439] Bhikkhus, a pupil (saddhivihārika) should conduct himself properly toward his preceptor (upajjhāya). This is the proper conduct therein:
Having risen early in the morning, having removed his sandals and arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, he should give the tooth-wood, he should give water for washing the face, and he should prepare a seat. If there is rice gruel (yāgu), having washed the vessel, the gruel should be offered. When he has drunk the gruel, having given him water, having received the vessel, holding it low, having washed it well without scraping it, it should be put away. When the preceptor has risen, the seat should be taken up. If that place is littered, that place should be swept.
If the preceptor wishes to enter the village, his inner robe should be given, the spare inner robe should be received back, the waistband should be given; having folded them double, the outer robes (saṅghāṭi) should be given; having rinsed it, the bowl, with water, should be given. If the preceptor desires an attendant ascetic (pacchāsamaṇa), then covering the three circles, having dressed evenly all round, having fastened the waistband, having folded double and put on the outer robes, having fastened the block-fastener, having rinsed and taken the bowl, he should be the preceptor's attendant ascetic. He should not walk too far behind; he should not walk too close. He should receive what pertains to the bowl. When the preceptor is speaking, he should not break in upon his speech. If the preceptor is speaking in a way bordering on an offence, he should be restrained. When returning, he should come back first and prepare a seat; water for the feet, a foot-stool, and a foot-scraper should be set out. Having gone out to meet him, his bowl and robe should be received; the spare inner robe should be given; the inner robe should be received. If the robe is damp, it should be aired for a while in the heat, but the robe should not be left lying in the heat. The robe should be folded; when folding the robe, having offset the edges by four fingerbreadths, he should fold the robe, thinking, "Let there be no crease in the middle." The waistband should be placed in the fold of the robe.
If there is alms-food (piṇḍapāta) and the preceptor wishes to eat, having given water, the alms-food should be offered. The preceptor should be asked about drinking water. When he has eaten, having given water, having received the bowl, holding it low, having washed it well without scraping it, having emptied out the water, it should be aired for a while in the heat, but the bowl should not be left lying in the heat. The bowl and robe should be put away. When putting away the bowl, taking the bowl with one hand and feeling with the other hand under the bed or under the chair, the bowl should be put away; and the bowl should not be put down on the bare ground. When putting away the robe, taking the robe with one hand and stroking the robe-rail or robe-line with the other hand, having placed the edge away from himself and the fold toward himself, the robe should be put away. When the preceptor has risen, the seat should be taken up; the water for the feet, the foot-stool, and the foot-scraper should be put away. If that place is littered, that place should be swept.
If the preceptor wishes to bathe, a bath should be prepared. If there is need of cold water, cold should be prepared; if there is need of hot water, hot should be prepared. If the preceptor wishes to enter the bathhouse (jantāghara), the bath-powder should be kneaded, the clay should be moistened; taking a bathhouse stool and walking close behind the preceptor, having given him the bathhouse stool and received his robe, it should be laid to one side; the powder should be given, the clay should be given. If he is able, he should enter the bathhouse. When entering the bathhouse, having smeared his face with clay and covered himself in front and behind, he should enter the bathhouse. He should not sit encroaching upon the elder bhikkhus, nor should the newly ordained bhikkhus be kept from a seat. In the bathhouse he should perform a service for the preceptor. When leaving the bathhouse, taking the bathhouse stool and covering himself in front and behind, he should leave the bathhouse. In the water too he should perform a service for the preceptor. When he has bathed, coming out of the water first, having dried his own body and put on his inner robe, he should wipe the water from the preceptor's body; the inner robe should be given, the outer robe should be given. Taking the bathhouse stool and coming back first, he should prepare a seat; water for the feet, a foot-stool, and a foot-scraper should be set out. The preceptor should be asked about drinking water.
If he wishes to have [the text] recited to him, he should have it recited; if he wishes to question, he should question.
In whatever dwelling the preceptor lives, if that dwelling is littered, it should be cleaned, if he is able. When cleaning the dwelling, first taking out the bowl and robe, they should be laid to one side; taking out the sitting-cloth and coverlet, they should be laid to one side; taking out the mattress and pillow, they should be laid to one side; lowering the bed, carefully, without scraping it, without knocking it against the door-panel and door-frame, taking it out, it should be laid to one side; lowering the chair, carefully, without scraping it, without knocking it against the door-panel and door-frame, taking it out, it should be laid to one side; taking out the bed-supports, they should be laid to one side; taking out the spittoon, it should be laid to one side; taking out the leaning-board, it should be laid to one side; having noted how the ground-covering was laid, taking it out, it should be laid to one side. If there are cobwebs in the dwelling, they should first be removed from the ceiling; the corners of the window-openings should be wiped. If the wall, treated with red ochre, has become stained, having moistened a cloth and wrung it out, it should be wiped. If the floor, treated with black colouring, has become stained, having moistened a cloth and wrung it out, it should be wiped. If the floor is untreated, having sprinkled it with water, it should be swept, thinking, "Let not the dwelling be soiled with dust." Having gathered up the rubbish, it should be thrown away to one side. Having sunned the ground-covering, cleaned it, beaten it, and brought it back, it should be laid as it was laid before. Having sunned the bed-supports, wiped them, and brought them back, they should be set in their proper place. Having sunned the bed, cleaned it, beaten it, lowering it, carefully, without scraping it, without knocking it against the door-panel and door-frame, having brought it back in, it should be laid as it was laid before. Having sunned the chair, cleaned it, beaten it, lowering it, carefully, without scraping it, without knocking it against the door-panel and door-frame, having brought it back in, it should be laid as it was laid before. Having sunned the mattress and pillow, cleaned them, beaten them, and brought them back, they should be laid as they were laid before. Having sunned the sitting-cloth and coverlet, cleaned them, beaten them, and brought them back, they should be laid as they were laid before. Having sunned the spittoon, wiped it, and brought it back, it should be set in its proper place. Having sunned the leaning-board, wiped it, and brought it back, it should be set in its proper place. The bowl and robe should be put away. When putting away the bowl, taking the bowl with one hand and feeling with the other hand under the bed or under the chair, the bowl should be put away; and the bowl should not be put down on the bare ground. When putting away the robe, taking the robe with one hand and stroking the robe-rail or robe-line with the other hand, having placed the edge away from himself and the fold toward himself, the robe should be put away.
If dusty winds blow from the east, the eastern windows should be closed. If dusty winds blow from the west, the western windows should be closed. If dusty winds blow from the north, the northern windows should be closed. If dusty winds blow from the south, the southern windows should be closed. If it is the cold season, the windows should be opened by day and closed by night. If it is the hot season, the windows should be closed by day and opened by night.
If the cell-precinct is littered, the cell-precinct should be swept. If the gatehouse is littered, the gatehouse should be swept. If the attendance hall is littered, the attendance hall should be swept. If the fire-hall is littered, the fire-hall should be swept. If the privy is littered, the privy should be swept. If there is no drinking water, drinking water should be set out. If there is no water for use, water for use should be set out. If there is no water in the rinsing-pot, water should be poured into the rinsing-pot.
If discontent has arisen in the preceptor, the pupil should dispel it or have it dispelled, or a talk on the Dhamma should be given to him. If remorse has arisen in the preceptor, the pupil should allay it or have it allayed, or a talk on the Dhamma should be given to him. If a wrong view has arisen in the preceptor, the pupil should dissuade him from it or have him dissuaded, or a talk on the Dhamma should be given to him.
If the preceptor has committed a grave offence and deserves probation (parivāsa), the pupil should make an effort, thinking, "How indeed may the Saṅgha grant the preceptor probation?" If the preceptor deserves to be sent back to the beginning (mūlāya paṭikassanā), the pupil should make an effort, thinking, "How indeed may the Saṅgha send the preceptor back to the beginning?" If the preceptor deserves the penance (mānatta), the pupil should make an effort, thinking, "How indeed may the Saṅgha grant the preceptor the penance?" If the preceptor deserves rehabilitation (abbhāna), the pupil should make an effort, thinking, "How indeed may the Saṅgha rehabilitate the preceptor?" If the Saṅgha wishes to carry out a formal act against the preceptor — one of censure (tajjanīya), of demotion (niyassa), of banishment (pabbājanīya), of reconciliation (paṭisāraṇīya), or of suspension (ukkhepanīya) — the pupil should make an effort, thinking, "How indeed may the Saṅgha not carry out the act against the preceptor, or commute it to a lighter one?" But if a formal act — one of censure, of demotion, of banishment, of reconciliation, or of suspension — has been carried out against him by the Saṅgha, the pupil should make an effort, thinking, "How indeed may the preceptor conduct himself properly, be subdued, behave so as to merit release, and how may the Saṅgha revoke that act?"
If the preceptor's robe needs to be washed, the pupil should wash it, or an effort should be made, thinking, "How indeed may the preceptor's robe be washed?" If a robe needs to be made for the preceptor, the pupil should make it, or an effort should be made, thinking, "How indeed may the preceptor's robe be made?" If dye needs to be boiled for the preceptor, the pupil should boil it, or an effort should be made, thinking, "How indeed may the preceptor's dye be boiled?" If the preceptor's robe needs to be dyed, the pupil should dye it, or an effort should be made, thinking, "How indeed may the preceptor's robe be dyed?" When dyeing the robe, he should dye it, turning it carefully over and over again; and he should not go away while the drips have not ceased.
Without having asked the preceptor's leave, he should not give a bowl to anyone, nor should he receive a bowl from anyone; he should not give a robe to anyone, nor should he receive a robe from anyone; he should not give a requisite to anyone, nor should he receive a requisite from anyone; he should not cut anyone's hair, nor should he have his hair cut by anyone; he should not perform a service for anyone, nor should he have a service performed for him by anyone; he should not do an errand for anyone, nor should he have an errand done for him by anyone; he should not act as attendant ascetic to anyone, nor should he take anyone as attendant ascetic; he should not bring back alms-food for anyone, nor should he have alms-food brought back for him by anyone. Without having asked the preceptor's leave, he should not enter a village, he should not go to a charnel ground, he should not depart for another district. If the preceptor is ill, he should be attended for as long as life lasts; his recovery should be awaited.
This, bhikkhus, is the pupils' duty toward preceptors, according to which pupils should conduct themselves properly toward preceptors.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.