Lzh Dg Bi Vb Sk 28Receiving in Proportion

Receiving in Proportion — Samasūpakapaṭiggahaṇa

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Source Status

The full source text of this disciplinary item has not yet been directly collated in the accessible database. The exposition below is constructed purely on the basis of the supplied descriptive information, including the title, number, original Pāli term, and position within the Chinese Comparative Vinaya. This is not a translation of the original scripture, not a full-text quotation, but a scholarly exposition intended to help readers orient themselves to the content and training value of this item. Readers who wish to study it in depth should directly consult the Chinese text and the corresponding multi-sectarian parallels.

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Background

Item number Lzh Dg Bi Vb Sk 28 belongs to the Comparative Vinaya — Chinese, within the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga (Bi Vb), that is, the section analyzing training rules for the Bhikkhunī community. The marker “Sk” in the number suggests that this belongs to the Sekhiya group of training rules, the precepts concerning behavior, deportment, and etiquette in the daily life of those gone forth. The Sekhiya rules tend toward the external form of practice, yet they contain a very deep spirit of inner cultivation, because every rule of deportment reflects an attitude of mindfulness and moderation in each gesture.

The Comparative Vinaya — Chinese belongs to the tradition of Comparative Sectarian Canons, a work that synthesizes and compares disciplinary rules from various schools through Chinese texts, helping clarify similarities and differences in the formulation of Vinaya among the schools of Sectarian Buddhism. This comparative method has great scholarly value, allowing the original meaning of each training rule to be traced beyond the boundaries of a single school.

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Content Determinable from the Descriptive Information

The original term Samasūpakapaṭiggahaṇa may be analyzed according to its Pāli components as follows:

• Sama (समM): equal, balanced, moderate, not excessive
• Sūpaka: related to food, especially food served together with rice (broth, soup, side dishes)
• Paṭiggahaṇa: receiving, the act of accepting

Taken together, the term indicates the act of receiving food moderately and in balance, specifically receiving the accompanying portion of food (such as soup, broth, or side dishes) in a proportion appropriate to the portion of rice or main staple. The Vietnamese title “Nhận Vừa Phải” and the English title “Receiving in Proportion” both accurately reflect the spirit of this term.

This Sekhiya training rule likely prescribes that when a Bhikkhunī receives offered food, she should not take an excessive portion of the side dishes in comparison with the main staple, but should receive in a balanced way, without greed and without bias toward a more delicious type of food. This is a concrete expression of the principles of contentment and moderation in eating, one of the basic foundations of the holy life.

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Meaning for Training

This training rule, though small in outward form, has very deep significance for practice. Receiving food in proportion is not merely politeness or social etiquette; it is a continuous practice of mindfulness in every moment of receiving nourishment.

First, it trains non-greed (alobha). When one gone forth is aware that she is receiving more than necessary, especially choosing the better or larger portion, that is a sign that craving is operating. This Sekhiya training rule cuts off that tendency at the source through a concrete rule of action.

Second, it protects purity of conduct before the community and donors. A Bhikkhunī who receives food in balance, without greed, creates trust and respect in those who give, thereby preserving the community’s faith in the Sangha.

Third, this training rule reflects the spirit of equality (sama), receiving exactly what one needs, neither more nor less, a spiritual quality directed toward relinquishment and liberation. Eating becomes walking meditation when every action is illuminated by wakefulness.

In the context of the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, this training rule may also relate to the particular circumstances of the nuns’ community, where careful observance of deportment plays an essential role in maintaining the reputation and stability of the nuns’ order in the society of Sectarian Buddhism.

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Comparative Note

Because this item belongs to the Comparative Vinaya — Chinese, it is very likely that the corresponding training rule appears in the Vinayas of several schools with variations in wording. The Pāli term Samasūpakapaṭiggahaṇa provides an important linguistic point of reference for comparison with the corresponding Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese texts of the various schools. A full study of this item requires direct reference to the Chinese texts in the Comparative Vinaya and the multi-sectarian parallels in order to clarify the specific context, scope of application, and any form of sanction.