Lzh Sarv Bu Pm 2 Np 21An Extra Almsbowl
Pāli / Sanskrit:Patta
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Explanation of the Patta Sutta (An Additional Alms Bowl)
Background
The Patta Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda tradition of Buddhadharma, specifically in the Pāṭimokkha section of the Bhikkhunī Samuggaha, the rules for bhikkhunīs. These contents regulate the life of practice of female bhikkhunīs, those who have fully gone forth according to the Buddha’s teaching.
The bowl (patta) is a sacred article in the monastic life of monks and nuns in Theravāda Buddhism. It is not only a practical tool for alms-round but also a symbol of minimalism and the maintenance of discipline. Each bhikkhu or bhikkhunī is permitted to own one fixed alms bowl. This Patta Sutta deals with a special case: when a bhikkhunī has an additional bowl beyond what is permitted.
The Buddha established detailed rules to protect the Sangha from troubles that might arise from greed for material possessions. The rules regarding the personal property of bhikkhunīs are regarded as subtle means for practicing renunciation (nekkhamma) and cleansing the mind.
Main Content
The Patta Sutta provides that a bhikkhunī is not permitted to possess more than one alms bowl. If a bhikkhunī is given or obtains a second bowl, she must handle it according to the proper rule of the Sangha. She cannot arbitrarily keep both bowls, because this violates the principle of minimal ownership.
The specific instructions are as follows: the bhikkhunī may give the additional bowl to another bhikkhunī, return it to the donor, or place it in the common fund of the Sangha. She is not permitted to destroy or damage the bowl without cause. Every act concerning a bhikkhunī’s property is supervised by communal rules, because in the Sangha, property is not only a personal matter but a matter for the entire community.
This rule reflects the Theravāda philosophy: material possessions are not where we should become attached.
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