Lzh Mg Bu Vb Np 21An Extra Almsbowl

– MAHĀSĀṂGHIKA VINAYA

– NISSAGGIYA RULES FOR BHIKKHUS

– ON THE SECOND PART OF THE THIRTY NISSAGGIYA PĀCITTIYA RULES

21. RULE: KEEPING AN EXTRA ALMSBOWL BEYOND THE PERMITTED PERIOD.

When the Buddha was dwelling at Sāvatthī, as described at length above. At that time, a certain bhikkhu, when it was time for the almsround, put on his robe, took his bowl, and went to the house of a potter named Dhammassava. Dhammassava, upon seeing him, bowed his head at his feet and stood to one side. The bhikkhu said:

—I am in need of a bowl.

Dhammassava then made a bowl and offered it as a gift. This bowl was neither large nor small, but of medium size, well-fired, and smooth and lustrous.

Having received the bowl, the bhikkhu brought it back to the Jetavana monastery. The other bhikkhus asked:

—Elder, where did you obtain that bowl—neither large nor small, of medium size, well-fired, and smooth and lustrous as it is?

He replied:

—The potter Dhammassava gave it to me as a gift.

After the bhikkhus had asked him this, they went to Dhammassava's house to ask for bowls, and all of them received one. Because so many people came to ask, Dhammassava thought: "Many bhikkhus are in need of bowls; it would be better if I invited the Saṅgha to my home and offered bowls to them, for the Saṅgha is the supreme field of merit and the merit thereby is immeasurable."

Having thought thus, he went to the Jetavana monastery, approached the senior elder, bowed his head at his feet, knelt with hands joined in añjali, and said:

—I, the potter Dhammassava, respectfully invite the venerable Saṅgha to come to my home to receive the offering of bowls. Whoever is in need may come and take one.

At that time, the bhikkhus took bowls—some took one, others two, three, four, and some even took ten. Dhammassava could not supply enough. Now at that time, the Venerable Sāriputta, when it was time for the almsround, put on his robe, took his bowl, and entered Sāvatthī for alms, going from house to house in sequence, and in due course arrived at that household. The wife of Dhammassava was a woman of faithful heart and was very joyful; moreover, she had been acquainted with the Venerable Sāriputta from before. She took a copper vessel, rinsed it clean, filled it with food, brought it out, and ladled it into Sāriputta's bowl, then bowed her head at his feet and stood in attendance to one side. The Venerable Sāriputta asked her: "How are the household affairs and livelihood faring?"

She replied: "The household livelihood is not prospering."

The Venerable asked: "Why is that?"

She replied: "My husband invited the Saṅgha to come and receive the offering of bowls. The bhikkhus took bowls—some one, some two, and some even ten. Thus the supply of bowls could not keep up, and the household livelihood cannot be managed. Why is this so? Because our household—young and old alike—depends entirely on the craft of pottery for food, clothing, offerings to rulers, and the payment of taxes. Since you are one whom our household holds in great respect and venerates, I have dared to speak openly in this way."

At that time, the Venerable Sāriputta taught the Dhamma extensively to her, so that a mind of joy arose in her, and then he departed. Upon returning to the monastery, the Venerable reported the matter to the Blessed One. The Buddha then directed that the bhikkhus be called together. When they had assembled, the Buddha asked: "Did this matter truly occur as described?"

They replied: "It truly occurred thus, Blessed One."

The Buddha said to the bhikkhus: "If the donor does not know how to calculate, then the recipient must know how to exercise restraint."

Then the Buddha said: "From now on, a bhikkhu who has an extra bowl is permitted to keep it for only one day."

Furthermore, when the Buddha was dwelling at Vesālī in the Kūṭāgārasālā in the Mahāvana, as described at length above. Each year, the people of Vesālī would customarily invite the Saṅgha to take a meal and then offer bowls as gifts. However, the bhikkhus did not dare to accept the bowls, because the Blessed One had permitted them to keep extra bowls for only one day; if kept longer than one day, the object would become an impure possession. At that time, the donors said: "We will go and lay this matter before the Blessed One."

They then went to the Blessed One, bowed their heads at his feet, stood to one side in attendance, and addressed the Buddha: "Blessed One! Each year we invite the Saṅgha to take a meal and then offer bowls, but the bhikkhus do not accept them, saying: 'What use is it for me to accept this bowl, when it will become impure before I have even used it?' Blessed One, it would be good if there were some means to resolve this, so that those who give may gain merit and those who receive may benefit."

The Buddha said: "I permit the one day previously allowed to be extended by nine additional days."

Thereupon, the bhikkhus kept extra bowls for the full ten days, and then came before the Buddha with their bowls and said: "This bowl has now reached ten days—what should now be done?"

The Buddha taught: "Bhikkhus, that bowl should be made pure by transferring it to an acquainted bhikkhu; every ten days the old bowl should be set aside and replaced with the new one in rotation."

Then the Buddha instructed the bhikkhus living at Vesālī to assemble all together, and for the sake of ten benefits he laid down the following rule for the bhikkhus—which all must hear even if they have heard it before:

"Should a bhikkhu have an extra bowl, he is permitted to keep it for ten days; if he keeps it beyond ten days, he commits a Nissaggiya Pācittiya."

Explanation

—Ten days: It may be kept and stored for a period of ten days.

—Extra bowl: A bowl that is permitted to be held in addition to the bowl already in use.

—Bowl: There are the following types: 1. the Sambā bowl; 2. the Okasima bowl; 3. the Ukkaṭhāya bowl; 4. the Dakiya bowl; 5. the iron bowl; 6. the Tilepaṇī bowl; 7. the Billeshu bowl; 8. the upper bowl; 9. the middle bowl; 10. the lower bowl; 11. the over-sized bowl; 12. the non-bowl; 13. the auxiliary bowl.

8. Upper bowl: In the country of Magadha, when one āḷhaka of rice is cooked into rice together with vegetable broth, it fills this bowl exactly. One āḷhaka equals one dou and six sheng by the Chinese measure.

9. Middle bowl: When half an āḷhaka of rice is cooked into rice together with vegetable broth, it fills this bowl exactly.

10. Lower bowl: It holds one paṭṭha of rice cooked into rice together with vegetable broth, with three parts rice to one part vegetable broth.

11. Over-sized bowl: When one āḷhaka of rice is cooked into rice together with vegetable broth, it still does not fill this bowl. That is called the over-sized bowl.

12. Non-bowl: It cannot contain even one paṭṭha of rice cooked into rice together with vegetable broth. That is called the non-bowl.

13. Auxiliary bowl: It holds whatever items are needed and placed within it.

Here, if an upper bowl, middle bowl, or lower bowl is kept beyond ten days, one commits a Nissaggiya Pācittiya; keeping any other types of bowls beyond that period does not constitute an offense.

—Nissaggiya Pācittiya: As explained above.

If a bhikkhu receives ten bowls on the first day of the month and does not make them pure by transfer, and allows the tenth day to pass, then all of those bowls become Nissaggiya Pācittiya offenses. If anyone does not understand how to undertake the proper keeping of a bowl or how to make it pure by transfer, he should be taught how to keep it thus and how to make it pure by transfer thus. That is, as set forth clearly in the first robe-keeping rule—the only difference here is that it concerns a bowl in place of a robe. Therefore it is said as above.

End of Nissaggiya Rule 20

Vietnamese translation: Thích Phước Sơn. MAHĀSĀṂGHIKA VINAYA

Chinese translation: TRIPIṬAKA BUDDHABHANDRA OF INDIA TOGETHER WITH ŚRAMAṆA FAXIAN, TRANSLATED DURING THE EASTERN JIN DYNASTY

Verification of meaning: Thích Đỗng Minh