Lzh Mi Bu Vb Pc 36Encouraging Another Monastic to Eat More After Refusing an Invitation
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dutiyapavāraṇā
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Explanation of the Dutiyapavāraṇā Sutta
Background
Dutiyapavāraṇā (the second encouragement regarding abstaining from food) lies in the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga of the Vinaya Piṭaka, reflecting a difficult situation in the community of monks and nuns during the Buddha’s time. This sutta arose from an actual incident: a bhikkhunī refused an invitation to eat from laypeople, even though her body was exhausted, and other bhikkhunīs advised her, but their companion would not listen. This was not a trifling matter, for in the Theravāda tradition, preserving the body in order to continue practice is necessary.
This background shows that the Buddha was concerned not only with subtle matters of spiritual practice, but also recognized that a practitioner cannot attain liberation if bodily health is neglected. This reflects the practical balance of the Buddha-Dharma, a middle way that avoids both self-mortification (ātmakilamathanuyoga) and indulgence in sensual pleasures.
Main Content
In Dutiyapavāraṇā, the Buddha does not assign a grave offence, but establishes a clear principle for communal conduct. When a bhikkhunī continually refuses food despite the advice of other practitioners, those others have the right, indeed the responsibility, to continue advising her again, or even to intervene more firmly.
The important point here is “pavāraṇā” (admonition or invitation to correction), an act considered necessary to protect the integrity of the practice community. If a practitioner is allowed to destroy her body because of mistaken ideas about asceticism, this affects not only the individual but also weakens the quality of communal practice.
This rule also reflects an ethical standard: fellow practitioners have a responsibility to care for one another. This is not interference with personal rights, but an expression of the connectedness of the Sangha and compassion, karuṇā in Pāli, toward those walking the path of practice.
Practical Meaning
Dutiyapavāraṇā offers profound lessons for those who practice today.
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