Lzh Mi Bu Pm Pd 4Receiving Food in a Dangerous Region
Pāli / Sanskrit:Catutthapāṭidesanīya
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Sutta on the Fourth Declaration Concerning Receiving Food in a Dangerous Region
Background
Catutthapāṭidesanīya, the Fourth Declaration, is an important part of the traditional Pāli Vinaya Piṭaka in Theravāda Buddhism. This sutta records special rules established by the Buddha for bhikkhus when they travel or live in regions where food provided by devoted laypeople may entail danger. This context reflects the practical need of the Sangha to maintain discipline and ethics and to protect the reputation of the Three Jewels when facing difficult circumstances.
The section “Receiving Food in a Dangerous Region” is especially related to situations in which offered food may be unclean, or to geographical and social regions where receiving food from laypeople may cause misunderstandings or negative effects on faith in the religious community.
Main Content
In the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, the Buddha issued four rules of declaration (pāṭidesanīya), rules requiring bhikkhus to declare faults they have committed. These rules are lighter than other grave rules (sīla), but still require public confession before the Sangha.
The rule concerning “receiving food in a dangerous region” focuses on the principle that bhikkhus should not receive food from sources that may create suspicion or damage the reputation of the fourfold assembly, namely bhikkhus, bhikkhunīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās. This includes not receiving food in situations where the act could be understood as improper or unsuitable.
In particular, situations such as receiving food in places of ill repute, or from laypeople with unclear motives, are regarded as matters that require a bhikkhu to declare a fault.
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