Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Dh Np 8Excessive Prompting for Robe Funds
Pāli / Sanskrit:Rāja
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EXPOSITION OF THE RĀJ DISCOURSE (THE KING DISCOURSE)
Background
The Rāj Discourse (The King Discourse) belongs to the Vinaya Pitaka, a legal treatise of the Sangha, the monastic community. This section records rules of conduct and instructive stories in the living practice of the spiritual life.
During the Buddha’s ministry, bhikkhus, male renunciants, received robes from faithful people. However, some monastics began to ask excessively or abuse the joyful merit of donors. Instead of practicing with a mind of relinquishment and living simply, they repeatedly pressed the people to provide material goods beyond what was necessary. This conduct was contrary to the subtle Dharma and damaged the reputation of the Sangha.
The Buddha, clearly recognizing this situation, taught a pure rule: one is not permitted to incite excessively or “solicit without measure” in asking lay people for robes. This is recorded in the Vinaya Pitaka as part of the Patimokkha, the list of 227 rules that bhikkhus must observe.
Main Content
The Rāj Discourse teaches that bhikkhus are not permitted to urge or “indirectly suggest” that lay people provide robes beyond actual need. The act of “skillfully asking” or having a “subtle expectation” concerning goods, especially robes for summer or winter, is considered conduct violating uprightness (sila, moral discipline).
If a bhikkhu says, “I do not have enough suitable robes for this season,” with the intention of causing lay people to bring them automatically, or if he frequently appears at a donor’s home at the time they are preparing clothing, these are all regarded as “excessive prompting.” The purpose of this rule is to protect the purity of the Sangha and preserve trust among the people.
The Buddha taught that monastics should know the appropriate measure (pariccheda) when receiving robes.
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