Lzh Mu Bi Pm Ss 5Encouraging Receiving Food From One With Lust
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kiṁ te avassuto vā anavassuto vā
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An Explanation of the Sutta: Encouraging the Receiving of Food From One With Craving
Background
This sutta comes from the Vinaya Piṭaka, the collection of rules and guidance concerning the discipline of monks and nuns, recorded in the Theravāda tradition of the Buddhadharma. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not only a rigid code, but a practical expression of the path of conduct and spiritual education within the monastic community. This sutta directly concerns a potentially sensitive issue: whether a monastic may receive food from someone known not yet to practice the holy life completely, especially someone who still has sexual desire (avassuto).
The context in which this sutta arose lies in the Sangha’s discussions concerning purity in acts of offering (dāna) and the rules for receiving food. The issue concerns three basic points: first, whether the quality of the donor affects the benefit of the recipient; second, the nature of the act of giving; third, the purity of mind in practice.
Main Content
The Pāli title “Kiṁ te avassuto vā anavassuto vā” may be translated: “Whether the donor has abandoned desire or not abandoned it—what relevance does that have?” This is a profound reflective question, expressing the Buddhist philosophy of cause and effect (karma).
This sutta is presented in the form of a dialogue or educational principle within the Sangha. The main content concludes that whether the donor still possesses craving is not the decisive criterion for determining whether a monastic should receive food. What matters is not the spiritual state of the donor, but:
First, the purity of intention (cetanā) of the donor when giving. Even if the donor still has personal craving, if the purpose of the gift is reverence for the Noble Eightfold Path or practice in accordance with the Four Noble Truths, then it is an effective practice.
Second, the monastic’s act of receiving must be with clear mindfulness (sati).
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