Lzh Mi Bi Vb Pc 69Diverting Gains
Pāli / Sanskrit:Pariṇāmana
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THE DISCOURSE ON DIVERTING GAINS
Pariṇāmana Sutta
Background
In the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, the Discourse on Diverting Gains (Pariṇāmana) is recorded as a standard of practice related to the handling of material things or benefits that a monk or nun receives within the Sangha community. This is one of the important disciplinary issues in the Pātimokkha, the basic code governing the lives of monks and nuns.
The background of this discourse arises from practical situations in the early religious community: monks or nuns received money, gifts, or material benefits from faithful people. The question was: how should these benefits be handled in accordance with the Buddha Dharma, especially in the context of rules against directly receiving money or certain material objects?
Main Content
The concept "pariṇāmana" means "diverting" or "redirecting," referring to the transfer of ownership or benefit from one person to another. In the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, this discourse prescribes that a monk or nun is not permitted to accumulate material benefits for oneself, but must divert them to the Sangha community or to others.
Specifically, when a monk receives money or material objects that cannot be used directly according to the discipline, he has the responsibility to transfer this benefit to other monks or to the community. This act of "diverting" is regarded as a practice of non-covetousness (anabhijjhā) and non-clinging (anupādāna), basic qualities in the Buddha Dharma.
This discourse also mentions the principle of "fairness" in distributing common benefits. If a benefit is diverted to the community, it belongs to no single individual but is common property of the Sangha. This reflects the spirit of equality and the relinquishing of every notion of "mine" in the community of practice.
Practical Meaning
The Pariṇāmana Sutta is not merely a dry disciplinary rule, but also a profound instrument for spiritual training.
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