Lzh Mg Bu Pm Np 19Bartering
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kayavikkaya
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THE SCRIPTURE ON BARTERING (Kayavikkaya)
Background
Kayavikkaya (bartering, trading) is a rule recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, belonging to the section of the Bhikkhu Pātimokkha (the eighty rules of training for bhikkhus). This scripture arose from specific incidents in the life of the Saṅgha approximately twenty-three centuries ago, when certain bhikkhus began engaging in commercial activities, buying and selling goods in the manner of lay people.
The Buddha, with the aim of protecting the purity of the Saṅgha and helping bhikkhus focus on spiritual cultivation, established a rule strictly prohibiting kayavikkaya—that is, trading, buying and selling, and exchanging goods for profit. This was not a prohibition against bhikkhus possessing necessary requisites, but rather a prohibition against engaging in commercial transactions with the purpose of accumulation or gain.
Main Content
The rule of Kayavikkaya stipulates that a bhikkhu is not permitted to engage in trading activities. This includes purchasing goods to resell at a higher price, exchanging merchandise, or using donated articles for the purpose of generating profit or accumulating wealth.
This rule does not prohibit a bhikkhu from receiving necessary requisites such as robes, an alms bowl, lodging, or medicine through lawful means such as receiving offerings, accepting gifts from householders, or obtaining them from the Saṅgha. Nor does it prohibit the use of such articles for the purpose of Dhamma practice. However, if a bhikkhu possesses an excessive quantity of requisites or attempts to profit through transactions, this is regarded as a transgression.
The reason for establishing this rule is to keep bhikkhus free from greed (lobha), one of the three root defilements. When a person goes forth into the homeless life, they have renounced the worldly existence characterized by desires and ambitions for material wealth. Should they continue to engage in trade, this would undermine their resolve in spiritual cultivation and make it easy to revert to a mind of greed—which is precisely the cause leading beings to suffer.
Practical Significance
The rule of Kayavikkaya carries a profound meaning that extends beyond the mere prohibition of outward behavior.
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