Lzh Dg Bu Pm Sk 32Asking for Rice and Curry
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sūpodanaviññatti
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
The Sutta on Asking for Rice and Curry (Sūpodanaviññatti)
Background
The Sūpodanaviññatti Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition and reflects the detailed regulations governing the daily life of the Buddhist Sangha. In the early period of Buddhism, the Buddha and his disciples lived by going on alms round, receiving food from the community of lay supporters and devotees. However, in order to maintain discipline and avoid disharmony, the Buddha established clear principles concerning how to request food and how diet should be handled within the Sangha.
This sutta records specific situations related to asking for rice (bhattodana) and curry or soup (sūpaṃ). These are not trivial details, but expressions of the sacred Vinaya, the ethical and organizational foundation of the Sangha. Each rule arose from a specific event witnessed by the Buddha and his disciples, then crystallized into teachings of lasting value.
Main Content
Sūpodanaviññatti concerns the matter of requesting or making known (viññatti), the way of communicating with those who provide food. The sutta clearly establishes that a monastic should not directly command or demand a specific amount of rice or curry. Instead, they should use a more indirect and subtle way, such as making their need known or acting in a way that the donor can understand without feeling compelled.
The distinction between asking for rice (bhattodana) and asking for curry (sūpodana) reflects respect for the humble way of life of one gone forth. Rice is the staple food, while curry is an accompaniment. Monastics are encouraged to receive what is voluntarily offered, and should not appear greedy or overly selective. This teaches those who have gone forth that the body is an instrument for practicing the Path, not an object of desire.
The sutta also identifies cases of disciplinary offense: monastics may not direct or urge others in order to obtain more rice or curry.
🌏 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.