Lzh Mi Bu Pm Np 14Offerings Intended for the Sangha
Pāli / Sanskrit:Pariṇata
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Discourse on Offerings Intended for the Sangha (Pariṇata)
Background
The “Pariṇata” Sutta (Offerings Intended for the Sangha) belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka and is an important part of the system of rules for bhikkhunīs, female renunciants, in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This text is recorded in Vinaya writings, especially in the regulations concerning the handling of property and offerings in the community of nuns.
The background of this text is connected with practical situations in the Sangha. When laymen and laywomen provide property, clothing, food, or other requisites for the community of nuns, the question arises: how should these offerings be distributed so that they accord with the spirit of practice and do not cause disputes or violations of the Vinaya?
Main Content
The Pariṇata Sutta addresses the principle of “conversion” (pariṇata) or “distribution” of offerings intended for the Sangha. The essential point is that not every material item may be designated privately for an individual monastic. Instead, offerings that are communal in character must be handled according to communal regulations, through “conversion” (pariṇāti) or fair distribution within the Sangha.
The Vinaya prescribes that when a donor does not clearly specify that an offering is for a particular individual, or when the offering has the character of being for the community, it must be considered a “Sangha offering” (saṅghika dāna). Such items cannot be seized by an individual monastic. Instead, the community of nuns must meet and decide how to use them fairly, whether by sharing them among all or reserving them for the common purpose of the Sangha.
The text also explains that this “conversion” is not a violation or an act of greed, but a way to protect the integrity (sīla) of monastics. By not appropriating communal property, monastics remain settled in the Dharma and are not entangled in disputes over possessions.
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