Lzh Sarv Bi Vb Sk 60Receiving Even Level

Samatittika Sutta: On Equal Receiving

Background

The Samatittika Sutta appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, specifically in the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, the detailed section on bhikkhunīs, where principles of practice are recorded for women renunciants who have gone forth. The context of this sutta concerns regulations on how to receive objects, property, and material support that bhikkhunīs may receive from the Buddhist community.

The word “Samatittika” means “equal” or “level” (samā = equal; titthikā = receiving, accepting). This sutta was established to guide bhikkhunīs in observing the principle of purity when receiving daily requisites and material benefits, so that they would not accept anything exceeding the standard of equality with other bhikkhunīs or the standards set by the Buddha.

Main Content

The Samatittika Sutta states that bhikkhunīs must maintain equality in receiving the necessities of the life of practice. This means they must not accept privileges or material benefits above the recognized standard.

Specifically, bhikkhunīs should not receive property, clothing, food, or other items at a level exceeding the ordinary standard. If a bhikkhunī intentionally receives what is above the level of equality, she violates the Pāṭimokkha, the basic discipline. The sutta emphasizes that discrimination in receiving property easily leads to jealousy, disputes, and division in the Sangha.

These principles arise from the fundamental philosophy of the Buddha-Dharma: the letting go of greed (lobha) and the maintenance of harmony (samaggī) in the community of practice. Receiving material goods equally is a practical way to cultivate virtue, reduce the disease of craving, and protect the unity of the Sangha.