Lzh Mi Bu Vb Np 9Requesting Fine Robes From a Combined Robe Fund
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dutiyaupakkhata
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THE SUTTA ON REQUESTING FINE ROBES FROM A COMMON FUND
Background
This sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, especially in the Nisaggiya Pācittiya section - rules concerning offenses that require disclosure and a change of conduct. The background arises from practical situations in the monastic community as Buddhism developed. In the Buddha's time, bhikkhus lived in a spirit of humility and made use of what was offered. However, as the number of monastics increased and gifts accumulated into common funds, issues of fairness and integrity in the use of common property became more complex. The Dutiyaupakkhata sutta records a specific case concerning the request for fine robes from the common fund of the Sangha.
The Vinaya Piṭaka was compiled to protect the purity and harmony of the Sangha Jewel, helping bhikkhus practice without becoming absorbed in matters of private benefit or dispute. Every recorded rule has its origin in specific events, usually addressed by the Buddha and then formalized as discipline.
Main Content
This sutta handles the situation in which a bhikkhu wants to request high-quality robes from the Sangha's common fund (dutiya-upakkhata, or "the second request"). The issue is whether it is fair for an individual to want to take the best requisites from collective property. Early Buddhist law is very careful about this, because it concerns personal integrity and harmony in the Sangha.
The sutta records that by making a second request, or subsequent requests, in order to receive superior items, a bhikkhu violates the principle of Nisaggiya Pācittiya - an offense that must be fully disclosed before the Sangha with a commitment to change. This is not because asking for robes is wrong, but because the manner of repeated requesting or selecting the best gifts for oneself from the common fund reflects greed and the loss of the spirit of renunciation.
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