Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Pd 1Asking for Milk
Pāli / Sanskrit:Khīraviññāpana
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The Khīraviññāpana Sutra (Asking for Milk)
Background
The Khīraviññāpana Sutra is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the collection of texts prescribing monastic precepts and discipline in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This sutra records an event in the early monastic community concerning the asking for milk in order to support health.
The way of life of the early monastics was very austere and simple. They depended on the merit of laypeople for food through alms gathering (piṇḍapāta). However, when a monastic was ill or weak, the character of this way of life changed. This sutra records a specific case in which a monastic needed milk as medicine, and the manner in which Buddhists were permitted to request milk in accordance with discipline.
This background reflects the enduring balance in the Vinaya Piṭaka between the principle of extreme self-reliance and the practical limits of human strength in the monastic community. It is one of the matters that shows the flexibility and compassion of the Buddha in formulating the rules of practice.
Main Content
In this sutra, we see that a monastic who was seriously ill needed milk for nourishment. Rather than requiring this monastic to go for alms personally, the Buddha allowed other companions in the Dharma to ask for milk on his behalf. However, this request for milk was not arbitrary; it had to follow certain conditions and methods.
The Buddha taught that asking for milk should be done only when truly necessary and for a legitimate medical reason. One must not ask out of greed or curiosity. The one who asks must have a mind of compassion (karuṇā) and the wish to help the sick monastic, not motives of greed or unreasonableness.
Through this, the Buddha also illustrates that the rules in the Vinaya Piṭaka are not absolutely rigid, but are appropriate to specific circumstances. In cases of illness requiring treatment, reasonable exceptions may be allowed for the survival and welfare of the community of practice. This is evidence of the Blessed Buddha’s kindness and wisdom in establishing discipline.
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