Lzh Mg Bi Pm Ss 12Encouraging Receiving Food From One With Lust
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kiṁ te avassuto vā anavassuto vā
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Scripture Commentary: Encouraging Receiving Food From One With Sensual Desire
Background
The Vinaya Piṭaka is a collection of rules and guidelines for practice for those who have gone forth into the homeless life according to the Theravāda tradition. This scripture, bearing the Pāli title "Kiṁ te avassuto vā anavassuto vā" (Whether you are one with influxes or one without influxes), is preserved within the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha (the rules of training for bhikkhunīs) or within the regulations concerning the receiving of food and drink by monastics.
The content of this scripture arises from a specific situation in practice, in which disciples of the Buddha needed to be instructed on how to conduct themselves in receiving food from lay people or those who have not yet gone forth. The question posed is: should a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī refuse to accept food from one who has sensual desire (rāga)? This is a subtle question concerning purity (pārisuddhī) and the observance of the Vinaya rules.
Main Content
This scripture instructs that receiving food from a person who has sensual desire is not the principal matter. What is of greatest importance is not the mental state of the giver, but the mental state of the receiver. A bhikkhu or bhikkhunī who is established in concentration and who observes the Vinaya rules may fully accept food from any person whatsoever, whether that person has sensual desire or not, for they are not defiled by the mental force of another.
The question "Whether you are one with influxes or one without influxes?" is posed as a means of reminding those who have gone forth that they should not be overly concerned with external factors, but should instead attend to the purity of their own inner mind. Virtue (sīla) and concentration (samādhi) are the primary instruments of protection, not the selection of who may provide food.
This content also reflects a fundamental principle of Theravāda Buddhism: the mind of the practitioner, not external circumstances, is what determines progress on the path to liberation. A bhikkhu or bhikkhunī who has committed to the Vinaya rules will not be influenced by the psychological motivations of others.
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