Thank you for your analyses. I don't have time to respond at
the moment as I'm a few days overdue with a promised
contribution to another Pali list, but hope to return to
this subject soon. Just one quibble on what you have written
so far: as far as I know the Pali texts do not actually
single out any one of the ten Vajjiputtaka theses as being
worse than all the others. Much of your discussion appears
to be predicated on the assumption that "gold and silver"
was the defining issue. Well, for all I know it may have
been, but personally if I were to rank the theses in order
of their destructive potential, I should probably place
"gold and silver" only in the number two slot. It seems to
me that the most radical and harmful thesis of the
Vajjiputtakas was the sixth one, the so-called
aaci.n.nakappa. The effect of this thesis, were it to be
adopted, would be to undermine the Vinaya in general, and
the four great standards in particular, as the basis on
which we determine what is allowable and what is not. The
implications of this are much more far-reaching than the use
of gold and silver, for in effect it means that whatever a
bhikkhu does is okay if his teacher does it. (I think this
point has considerable contemporary relevance, since much of
the sangha, it seems, has in practice quietly adopted the
Vajjiputtakas' proposal).
If you have the time to look into it, it would be
interesting to know what (if anything) the Mahaasanghikas
had to say on this score. Here is the Cullavagga passage of
the Second Council's verdict, with Horner's translation
(adapted slightly):
kappati, bhante, aaci.n.nakappo ti?
Venerable sir, is the practice concerning what is
customary allowable?
ko so, aavuso, aaci.n.nakappo ti?
What, friend, is this practice concerning what is
customary?
kappati, bhante, ida.m me upajjhaayena
ajjhaaci.n.na.m, ida.m me aacariyena
ajjhaaci.n.na.m, ta.m ajjhaacaritun ti?
Venerable sir, is it allowable, thinking: "This is
what is usually done by my preceptor, this is
what is usually done by my teacher," to conduct
oneself according to that?
aaci.n.nakappo kho, aavuso, ekacco kappati, ekacco
na kappatii ti
Friend, the practice concerning what is customary
is in some cases allowable, in some cases not
allowable.
From the Vinaya commentaries ....
Buddhaghosa (Saamantaapasaadikaa):
"ekacco kappatii" ti ida.m dhammika.m aaci.n.na.m
sandhaaya vutta.m.