Lzh Mu Bi Pm Np 11Money
Pāli / Sanskrit:Rūpiya
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The Money Sutra (Rūpiya)
Context
The Money Sutra is part of the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically within the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha or related legal sections concerning the management of property in the monastic community. In the early period of Buddhism, while the Buddha was still alive, the question of how bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs should manage money and valuables gave rise to disputes and to conditions unfavorable for pure practice.
Members of the Sangha, especially those still inexperienced in the Dharma, did not clearly understand the principle taught by the Buddha concerning separation from material things and attachment to money. Therefore, the Buddha laid down clear rules (pātimokkha) to protect the purity of the Sangha. The Rūpiya Sutra arose from concrete situations in which the Buddha had to intervene and teach.
Main Content
The Money Sutra stipulates that bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs are not permitted to keep, store, or accumulate money (rūpiya), gold, silver, or other kinds of precious property. This is a fundamental principle of Theravāda Buddhist monastic life.
The basis of this rule lies deeply in the understanding of the mechanism of greed (lobha) and attachment (upādāna). When a person goes forth, they have abandoned the household life with all its material possessions. If they continue to keep money, they contradict the vow of renunciation and create conditions for the mind of sensual craving to develop. Money is a means for satisfying worldly desires, and therefore it becomes a major obstacle to genuine practice.
The sutra not only forbids keeping money, but also forbids indirect actions such as asking someone else to manage money on one’s behalf, participating in monetary transactions, or accepting gifts in the form of cash. Any form of connection with personal property is considered a violation of the principle of practice.
Practical Meaning
The Money Sutra is not merely a formal rule, but a profound means of practice. It teaches that true freedom comes from relinquishing possession.
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