Lzh Dg Bu Pm Sk 27Receiving Even Level
Pāli / Sanskrit:Samatittika
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Samatittika Sutta: The Spirit of Equality in Conditions
Background
The Samatittika Sutta (Samaṁ tittika, "equality in conditions") is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, a sacred division of the Pāli Canon in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This sutta concerns the rules governing the monastic community (Sangha), the community of those who have gone forth following the Buddha's teaching.
The deeper background of the sutta lies in the early development of Buddhism, when the Buddha needed to establish administrative principles to maintain harmony and discipline in the community. The regulations in the Vinaya Piṭaka are not dry legal rules, but ethical principles (sīla) arising from specific situations in shared monastic life.
The Samatittika Sutta addresses the principle of "equality in conditions," that is, fairness in distributing, receiving, or providing property, food, and living conditions for members of the Sangha. This is a highly practical matter, reflecting the Buddha's wisdom in building a community without discrimination or injustice.
Main Content
The principle of "equality in conditions" (Samatittika) instructs that the common property of the Sangha, whether food, requisites for practice, or other benefits, must be distributed fairly and evenly to all members. There is no preference or discrimination based on age, birth, or status in the community, except in special cases due to illness or advanced age and weakness.
This sutta emphasizes that even senior bhikkhus, those with great merit, must follow this principle. All are people who have gone forth, who have renounced personal possessions in order to pursue the Buddha's path. Thus, equality in receiving property is an expression of the basic principle that all members of the Sangha are equal on the path to awakening.
This regulation also prevents ambition, jealousy, and disharmony that may arise from discrimination or favoritism.
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