Lzh Sarv Bi Vb Np 19Collecting Bowls

Pattasannicaya Sutra (The Collection of Almsbowls)

Background

The Pattasannicaya Sutra belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, the collection that sets forth principles of discipline and conduct for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs in the Sangha. This Vinaya was established by the Buddha Gautama to protect the purity of the Sangha and help monastics focus on practice.

This sutra specifically concerns the management of almsbowls (Pāli: patta), the bowls used for alms-round. The almsbowl is not only an object of daily life but also bears deep spiritual meaning. It is a symbol of simplicity, dependence, and non-appropriation in the life of a renunciant. The Pattasannicaya Sutra treats regulations concerning how monks should manage, protect, and use almsbowls in a manner appropriate to the Dharma and Vinaya.

Main Content

Pattasannicaya refers to rules concerning the collection and management of almsbowls in the Sangha. The main purpose is to ensure that monks do not accumulate too many bowls or use them improperly, thereby avoiding attachment to material possessions.

In the spirit of the Vinaya Piṭaka, each monk is allowed to possess only one bowl. This bowl must be made from permitted materials such as clay, copper, iron, or other suitable materials. If the bowl is damaged, a monk may receive a new one through the Sangha, but may not accumulate many bowls in reserve.

This sutra also regulates specific situations: when a monk may receive a new bowl, how the old bowl is to be handled, and which actions are considered violations of discipline related to the almsbowl. If a monk deliberately accumulates many bowls or trades them for gain, this is regarded as an action inconsistent with the appearance and conduct of a monk.

This rule reflects a basic Buddhist principle: renunciation of ambition and attachment to material things. The almsbowl symbolizes the boundary between what is necessary for the life of practice and what is excessive attachment.