At one time the Buddha was staying at Āḷavī at the Aggāḷava Shrine. At that time the monks of Āḷavī were doing building work, and they dug the earth and had it dug. People complained and criticized them, “How can the Sakyan monastics dig the earth and have it dug? They are hurting one-sensed life.” The monks heard the complaints of those people, and the monks of few desires complained and criticized those monks, “How can those monks at Āḷavī dig the earth and have it dug?” … “Is it true, monks, that you do this?” “It’s true, sir.” The Buddha rebuked them … “Foolish men, how can you do this? People regard the earth as conscious. This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:

Final ruling ‘If a monk digs the earth or has it dug, he commits an offense entailing confession.’”

Definitions A: whoever … Monk: … The monk who has been given the full ordination by a unanimous Sangha through a legal procedure consisting of one motion and three announcements that is irreversible and fit to stand—this sort of monk is meant in this case.