Lzh Mu Bi Pm Np 25Exchanging Personal Property
Pāli / Sanskrit:Puggalikacetāpana
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Sutra on Exchanging Personal Property (Puggalikacetāpana)
Context
This sutra belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, found in the Nuns’ Patimokkha (Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha), the collection of disciplinary rules for female monastics. In the context of the early community of monks and nuns, rules for managing personal property were established in detail in order to maintain purity, fairness, and avoid potential disputes within the Sangha.
The issue of exchanging personal property arose from practical situations: bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs had personal items such as robe-cloth, bowls, sandals, and so on. When exchanging these items with one another, even for reasonable reasons, they had to follow certain principles to avoid creating unfairness or mistakes in the management of communal and private property.
Main Content
The Puggalikacetāpana Sutra, meaning “exchanging or converting personal property,” stipulates that when a female monastic wishes to exchange or convert her personal property with the personal property of another bhikkhunī, specific conditions must be observed. This is to ensure that the exchange is carried out openly, transparently, and without negative consequences.
Specifically, this rule emphasizes the transparency of the transaction. Property should not be exchanged secretly or silently, but should have witnesses or be reported to the community. This not only protects each individual from needless suspicion, but also protects the whole Sangha from accusations of unfairness or dishonesty.
Moreover, this sutra may be connected with regulations on the limits of personal property that a bhikkhunī is allowed to possess. In the Vinaya Piṭaka, monastics are permitted to keep essential requisites, but are not allowed to accumulate possessions or have wasteful items. Exchange must observe this principle.
Practical Meaning
The Puggalikacetāpana Sutra offers a profound lesson in purity and responsibility in the management of property.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.