Lzh Mu Bu Vb Pc 74An Invitation for Four Months
Pāli / Sanskrit:Catumāsappaccayapavāraṇā
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
The Sutta of the Invitation for Four Months
Catumāsappaccayapavāraṇā
Background
The Invitation for Four Months (Catumāsappaccayapavāraṇā) is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, within the Parivāra (The Compendium), and constitutes an important portion of the Pāli Vinaya Piṭaka. This text relates directly to one of the most significant communal rules of the Bhikkhu Sangha—the rule of Pavāraṇā, or the Invitation Ceremony.
In the Theravāda tradition, bhikkhus observe the Vinaya as established by the Blessed One, Śākyamuni Buddha, with the purpose of forming a community that is pure, harmonious, and disciplined. This rule is carried out at the conclusion of each Vassa (the three-month rains retreat), a period during which bhikkhus concentrate on their practice within the monastery without wandering about. However, in certain special circumstances, the Vinaya permits this period to be extended to four months, and the Invitation for Four Months constitutes the formal legal provision governing such cases.
Principal Content
The Catumāsappaccayapavāraṇā sets forth the conditions and procedures by which the community of bhikkhus may perform the invitation (pavāraṇā), or defer the regular Pavāraṇā ceremony to another time, thereby extending the period of practice to four months rather than three.
The Pavāraṇā ceremony is a rite performed at the conclusion of the Vassa, in which the bhikkhus assemble so that each in turn may "invite" (pavāraṇā), or offer himself for admonition, presenting his conduct before the community. The practitioner speaks words such as: "I invite admonition regarding my actions of the three doors—body, speech, and mind—before the Sangha." The other bhikkhus are then given the opportunity to point out any laxity or transgression they may have observed, so that the individual may have occasion to confess and correct himself. This is a profoundly effective mechanism of self-examination and purification.
🌏 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.