Ka Bu Pm Pc 33Accepting Two or Three Bowls Full
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dvittipattapūrapaṭiggahaṇa
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The Sutta on Accepting Two or Three Bowls Full
Background
The “Dvittipattapūrapaṭiggahaṇa” Sutta, “Accepting Two or Three Bowls Full,” is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. In the earliest periods after the Buddha’s complete nirvana, the community of monks and nuns needed to establish rules of conduct in order to maintain discipline and harmony. This sutta reflects practical issues concerning the way laypeople offered food to monastics.
The background of the Vinaya Piṭaka often records that a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī committed an act that was a violation or caused controversy, and from this the Buddha or the community of monks and nuns established a regulation within the Dhamma-vinaya. This sutta relates to the matter of receiving offerings of food, one of the essential activities in the religious communal life of practice.
Main Content
The sutta concerns the regulation on receiving food (bhattapiṇḍa) when donors wish to offer two or three bowls full to bhikkhus. This is not a trivial matter, for the Vinaya Piṭaka is very detailed about the handling of food, one of the areas in which disputes among monastics should be avoided, as should making donors feel embarrassed.
This rule establishes that bhikkhus are permitted to receive food offered in a proper way, but must follow the principle of purity (suddhi) and must not trouble the donor. When there are two or three bowls full, the sharing or receiving should take place naturally, without causing dispute or affecting the mind of the giver.
The Vinaya Piṭaka emphasizes that bhikkhus must avoid actions that could cause donors to doubt their integrity, or cause other bhikkhus to become jealous. Thus this sutta lays down a clear, open mode of conduct, following the tradition approved by the Buddha.
Practical Meaning
The “Accepting Two or Three Bowls Full” Sutta is not only a regulation about offerings or reception; it also reflects a profound principle: monastics must preserve the trust of donors and avoid every action that could defile the Sangha Jewel.
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