Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Np 9Money

Rūpiya Sutta (The Sutta on Money)

Background

The Rūpiya Sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha section of the monastic rules. It is one of the earliest regulations given by the Buddha for the Sangha. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not merely a book of administrative law, but a collection of teachings on spiritual discipline intended to help monks maintain purity in both personal and communal morality.

This text arose from a specific event in the life of the disciples. As Buddhism began to spread, some monks began accepting or storing money (rūpiya), which ran counter to the spirit of renunciation: the relinquishing of material desires. The Buddha saw that this issue could weaken the spiritual foundation of the Sangha, and therefore he laid down specific regulations.

Main Content

The Rūpiya Sutta prescribes that monks must not accept money in any form. This includes gold, silver, coins, or anything that has exchange value. Even asking someone to buy necessary objects with money is forbidden. Instead, the Buddha taught that monks should live by almsround: going out each morning to seek food.

If someone intentionally gives money to a monk, the monk must refuse it or ask that person to place it in a public location. Certain exceptions are prescribed: if money is given to the Sangha for building a stūpa, monastery, or works serving Buddhism, it may be accepted through the proper procedure.

Any monk who violates this regulation must undergo the corresponding disciplinary consequence. Depending on the degree and nature of the violation, this may lead to penalties ranging from light ones, such as personal confession, to severe ones, such as removal from the Sangha.

Practical Meaning

This regulation concerning money is not an unreasonable prohibition, but reflects a deep truth about the nature of solitary greed (lobha).