Lzh Mu Bi Vb Pc 152Selling Food
Pāli / Sanskrit:Selling food
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THE DISCOURSE ON SELLING FOOD
An Explanation According to the Theravāda Vinaya
Background
The Discourse on Selling Food belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda tradition of the Buddhadharma, specifically to the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, the teaching for bhikkhunīs. This discourse was recorded to establish rules for communal living among monks and nuns who practice according to the Buddha’s teaching.
The context in which the discourse appeared concerns practical issues in the early monastic community. A bhikkhunī is a female monastic who has gone forth and observes the eight precepts (aṭṭhaṅga-sīla) or higher. The regulations in the Vinaya Piṭaka are not arbitrary restrictions, but guidelines that help monastics protect a pure mind and avoid things that cause distraction or shake virtue.
Main Content
The Discourse on Selling Food regulates whether bhikkhunīs may participate in the commercial sale of food. This is not an ordinary livelihood activity permitted to bhikkhunīs, because the purpose of going forth is to leave behind greed, hatred, and delusion and to devote oneself to practice leading to liberation.
The Vinaya Piṭaka prescribes that bhikkhunīs should not directly sell food for the purpose of profit or the accumulation of goods. Such an act is considered a violation of the Pātimokkha, especially in relation to the precept concerning "living for a noble purpose" (hina-ṭṭhaggata).
However, the discourse also distinguishes special situations. For example, if a bhikkhunī passively receives food that others have already prepared and shares it with the monastery community (vihāra), this is not "selling." Or if the community has a legitimate need for food, participation in distribution may be considered differently.
The key point is the intention (cetanā) of the action. If the motivation is greed for gain or accumulation, it is a violation. If the motivation is to serve the monastery community or support those unable to provide for themselves, the character of the act may change.
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