Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Np 14Bribing Weavers
Pāli / Sanskrit:Mahāpesakāra
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The Mahāpesakāra Discourse: An Explanation According to the Theravāda Vinaya
Background
The Mahāpesakāra discourse (Maha-pesakāra, Pāli: महापेसकार) belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, in the Nisaigiyavibhangga section, the detailed regulations on prohibited actions. This discourse records an event that occurred when the Buddha and the bhikkhus were living at Sāvatthi, a great city in ancient India.
The background for the appearance of this rule was that some bhikkhus took part in corrupt conduct, specifically receiving bribes from weavers in order to support them in legal disputes or economic interests. This incident aroused disapproval in the Buddhist community and harmed the honor of the Sangha.
Main Content
The Mahāpesakāra discourse specifically forbids actions related to receiving money or gifts for the purpose of interfering in worldly matters, or using one’s influence to help particular people for material benefit. In particular, the discourse condemns monastics who receive bribes from weavers (pesakāra, a Pāli word meaning “weaver”), an important trade at that time.
This rule belongs to the pācittiya class of offenses, those requiring confession, of moderate seriousness in the Vinaya system. A bhikkhu who commits this offense must perform a public confession before the Sangha in order to purify his character and restore his standing in the community.
The deeper reasons given by the Buddha are that such actions violate five important aspects of the spirit of practice: (1) they destroy the community’s faith, (2) they cause the Sangha to lose respect, (3) they reveal greed, (4) they violate spiritual independence, and (5) they damage the public image of the Buddha-Dharma.
Practical Meaning
The deeper meaning of the Mahāpesakāra discourse does not stop at forbidding the receiving of bribes, but also shows that practitioners of the Buddha-Dharma must maintain absolute integrity, especially in matters related to material benefit.
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