Lzh Dg Bi Pm Pd 2Asking for Oil
Pāli / Sanskrit:Telaviññāpana
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Explanation of the Telaviññāpana Sutta (Asking for Oil)
Background
The Telaviññāpana Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition of the Buddha-Dharma, specifically the Pātimokkha Sutta section, the basic prohibitions that bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs must observe. This sutta records an event related to the foundation of the rules of training in the Sangha.
The background took place while the Buddha Gotama was still alive. A bhikkhu requested oil from the Sangha, but the manner of asking did not follow proper procedure. This was not a violent matter or a serious ethical violation, but an issue of respecting discipline and order in the Sangha, matters that needed to be arranged clearly so that the monastic community could function in an orderly and harmonious way.
Main Content
The Telaviññāpana Sutta concerns the formal procedure for requesting material necessities needed for practice, specifically oil, an item useful for the health and bodily care of those gone forth. This request must be presented before the Sangha, the community of bhikkhus, through a formal mode called viññāpana, an official notification or request for permission.
The Buddha instructed that when a monastic needs to request any necessity, this must be done with respect for the Sangha, not merely on the basis of personal need without due attention. This form of asking reflects an important principle: the monastic community is not a set of separate individuals, but a unified body in which every personal need must be considered in the light of common balance and justice.
The sutta records that the Buddha established this rule to ensure that material requests were handled fairly, transparently, and without giving rise to conflicts or bias in the Sangha. Following the formal procedure is also an opportunity to train the mind, relinquishing personal self-importance and learning to live in mutual dependence.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.