Lzh Mg Bu Pm Pd 4Receiving Food From Designated Families
Pāli / Sanskrit:Tatiyapāṭidesanīya
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Tatiyapāṭidesanīya: Receiving Food From Designated Families
Background
The Tatiyapāṭidesanīya is one of the important regulations in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition. This text is recorded in the sections of the Vinaya concerning monastic discipline (Pātimokkha), specifically in the chapter on Pācittiya rules—offenses that require confession and acknowledgment of wrongdoing.
Pāṭidesanīya means "must be declared" or "must be publicly acknowledged." The word tatiya indicates that this is the third principle to be proclaimed, or that this is the third situation to be regulated. This text arises in the context of the Buddha and the members of the Sangha managing daily activities, in particular the receiving of food from families who offer their trust and support.
During this period, monastics lived entirely on gifts from lay supporters. Accordingly, the manner in which food was received was not merely a matter of physical sustenance, but also a reflection of the moral character and purity of those who had gone forth into the holy life.
Principal Content
The Tatiyapāṭidesanīya stipulates that when a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī receives food from a particular family without permission, or receives beyond what has been designated, that person must publicly declare this conduct before the Sangha or before those of good standing.
More specifically, when a family has specified that they are able to provide only a certain kind of food—such as rice, vegetables, or water—but the monastic speaks up to request or receives additional items beyond those designated, this constitutes a violation. The monastic is not permitted to remain silent or to conceal the matter, but must actively declare, acknowledge, and give account of the action.
This requirement is not intended as a punishment of the monastic, but rather to maintain transparency and trust between the Sangha and the lay families who offer their support. It also aids the monastic in cultivating purity of conduct and freedom from greed with respect to material provisions, and in honoring the boundaries that lay supporters have set.
Practical Significance
The Tatiyapāṭidesanīya carries a profound teaching on sincerity and self-examination.
🌏 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.