Lzh Mi Bu Pm Np 28Bartering
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kayavikkaya
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The Sutta on Material Exchange (Kayavikkaya)
Background
Kayavikkaya, or material exchange, is a rule recorded in the Vinaya Pitaka, specifically in the Nissaggiya Pācittiya section: offenses requiring confession together with forfeiture of the offending item. This sutta reflects the strict management by the Sangha of acts of exchange, buying and selling, or the improper use of material goods.
The historical background of this rule is connected with specific situations in the monastic community during the time of Śākyamuni Buddha. When bhikkhus began exchanging requisites, robes, or other possessions with one another or with outsiders, this tended to lead to disputes, damage the concentration of practice, and violate the spirit of renouncing material possessions in a Buddhist practitioner. Therefore the Buddha established this rule to restrain such conduct.
Main Content
Kayavikkaya primarily prohibits a bhikkhu from personally exchanging, buying, selling, or bartering material goods, especially robes, valuables, and things that constitute his possessions. If a bhikkhu performs such an act, he commits a Nissaggiya Pācittiya offense, an offense that must be confessed and for which the exchanged item must be forfeited.
This rule is not an absolute prohibition against all material exchange in every circumstance. Rather, it emphasizes that if an exchange must occur, the bhikkhu should inform other bhikkhus or allow someone else, often a laywoman or steward, to carry out the transaction. This is meant to protect the bhikkhu from the defilement of personally attending to his own gain through material transactions.
The text also mentions lawful exceptions, such as when exchange is needed to obtain requisites necessary for practice, such as robes, but it must be done through proper steps and with confirmation from the Sangha.
Practical Meaning
Kayavikkaya teaches that Buddhist monastics should not allow themselves to be swept into complex economic activities. This is to keep the mind clean, avoid deception, and avoid prejudices concerning gain.
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