That monk should approach the Sangha, arrange his upper robe over one shoulder, pay respect at the feet of the senior monks, squat on his heels, raise his joined palms, and say: ‘Venerables, I’ve committed a number of offenses entailing suspension. I don’t know the number of offenses or the number of days; I don’t remember the number of offenses or the number of days; I’m unsure of the number of offenses and the number of days. I ask the Sangha for the purifying probation for those offenses.’ And he should ask a second and a third time. A competent and capable monk should then inform the Sangha: ‘Please, venerables, I ask the Sangha to listen. The monk so-and-so has committed a number of offenses entailing suspension. He doesn’t know the number of offenses or the number of days; he doesn’t remember the number of offenses or the number of days; he is unsure of the number of offenses and the number of days. He is asking the Sangha for the purifying probation for those offenses. If the Sangha is ready, it should give monk so-and-so the purifying probation for those offenses. This is the motion. Please, venerables, I ask the Sangha to listen. The monk so-and-so has committed a number of offenses entailing suspension. He doesn’t know the number of offenses or the number of days; he doesn’t remember the number of offenses or the number of days; he is unsure of the number of offenses and the number of days. He is asking the Sangha for the purifying probation for those offenses. The Sangha gives monk so-and-so the purifying probation for those offenses. Any monk who approves of giving monk so-and-so the purifying probation for those offenses should remain silent. Any monk who doesn’t approve should speak up. For the second time, I speak on this matter. … For the third time, I speak on this matter. … The Sangha has given monk so-and-so the purifying probation for those offenses. The Sangha approves and is therefore silent. I will remember it thus.’

When to give purifying probation“When should the purifying probation be given? It should be given: when one doesn’t know the number of offenses, nor the number of days; when one doesn’t remember the number of offenses, nor the number of days; when one is unsure of the number of offenses and the number of days. It should be given: when one knows the number of offenses, but not the number of days; when one remembers the number of offenses, but not the number of days; when one is sure of the number of offenses, but not the number of days. It should be given: when one knows some of the offenses but not others, and not the number of days; when one remembers some of the offenses but not others, and not the number of days; when one is sure of some of the offenses but not others, and not the number of days. It should be given: when one doesn’t know the number of offenses, but one knows some of the days but not others; when one doesn’t remember the number of offenses, but one remembers some of the days but not others; when one is unsure of the number of offenses, but one is sure of some of the days but not others. It should be given: when one knows the number of offenses, and one knows some of the days but not others; when one remembers the number of offenses, and one remembers some of the days but not others; when one is sure of the number of offenses, and one is sure of some of the days but not others.