Lzh Mi Bi Vb Pc 88Directing to a Sangha What Was Meant for an Individual
Pāli / Sanskrit:Directing to a Sangha what was meant for an individual
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THE SCRIPTURE ON DIRECTING WHAT WAS INTENDED FOR AN INDIVIDUAL TO THE SANGHA
Background
This scripture is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, especially in the Pātimokkha, the fundamental code of practice for Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunīs. Its content concerns the rules on sincerity in making offerings to the Sangha, one of the basic practices in Buddhism.
In the time when the Buddha was present, the Buddha set forth instructions on how to behave properly and sincerely in making offerings. This scripture reflects a specific situation in which monastics had the intention of making an offering to a particular individual, but then changed their intention and redirected that offering to the whole Sangha. This is not a matter of ambition or double benefit, but a matter of truthfulness in the original intention and motive for action.
Main Content
According to the Vinaya Piṭaka, when a Buddhist devotee or a monastic intends to offer a material object or resource to a specific monastic, this is a psychological and ethical agreement or commitment. If the donor later changes the original intention and redirects that offering to the entire Sangha instead of the individual, this is considered an improper change unless the intended recipient is informed or the matter is renegotiated.
This rule is intended to protect the integrity of commitments, as well as the lawful rights of individual monastics. It reflects the basic principle that each of our ethical actions must arise from true intention (cetanā) and be carried out straightforwardly. Changing the direction of an offering without the consent of the intended recipient may be regarded as lacking truthfulness.
However, this rule is not absolute. If a rearrangement is made openly and with the consent of the parties concerned, then changing the direction of the offering is entirely lawful. The important point is transparency and the absence of ambition in making the decision.
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