Lzh Dg Bu Pm Sk 61Not Hide Valuables in Stupa
Pāli / Sanskrit:Not hide valuables in stupa
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Explanation: Discourse on Not Hiding Valuables in a Stupa
Background
This discourse arises from the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, where the rules of training for the Buddhist Sangha are recorded. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not only a set of disciplinary regulations, but also a profound teaching on ethics, integrity, and honesty in the monastic life.
This discourse concerns a specific situation in the monastic community: the problem of hiding or accumulating valuable property in stupas, places often used to venerate the Buddha or preserve the ashes of eminent persons. This reflects the conflict between habits of greed and the Buddhist spirit of going forth. The context of this rule shows that during the Buddha’s lifetime the Sangha already faced practical challenges concerning property and management.
The Blessed One, clearly aware of these obstacles, established specific guidelines to protect the pure spirit of renunciation among his disciples.
Main Content
The basic principle emphasized by this discourse is that bhikkhus should not hide or store any valuable property in stupas or places of veneration. This includes gold, silver, jewels, or any other valuable object.
There are many dimensions to the deeper reason behind this rule. First, going forth means renouncing worldly pleasures, the things that bind one within the cycle of birth and death. Hiding valuables is a latent action of greed and fear of loss, contrary to the spirit of renunciation. Second, this action creates a lack of transparency, disturbs trust within the Sangha, and causes lay followers to lose faith. Third, it leads to bondage of mind, because the one who hides valuables must worry about protecting them and fearing their loss.
This discourse also reflects the principle of communal property. In the Buddhist tradition, valuables used for the monastery or the Sangha are regarded as collective property, not the private possession of an individual. Therefore, hiding them is an act that violates collective trust and the public nature of those goods.
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