Lzh Sarv Bu Pm Np 20Bartering
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kayavikkaya
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The Discourse on the Exchange of Goods (Kayavikkaya)
Background
The Kayavikkaya Sutta appears in the Vinaya Pitaka of the Theravada Buddhist tradition, specifically in the Patimokkha, the code of rules for bhikkhunis. It is one of the detailed rules concerning the conduct of women gone forth, intended to protect the purity and economic independence of the community of monks and nuns.
The background for this text is connected with the period when Buddha Shakyamuni established ethical and disciplinary rules within the community of monks and nuns. As the monastic community developed, issues concerning property, commercial transactions, and the use of goods became necessary to regulate. Kayavikkaya (from "kaya" = material things, goods; "vikkaya" = selling, trading, exchange) was introduced to prohibit direct acts of exchange, buying, selling, or trading goods, because such actions conflicted with the spirit of renunciation and the capacity to concentrate on practice.
Main Content
Kayavikkaya forbids bhikkhunis from engaging in activities of trade, exchange, or buying and selling goods. This rule emphasizes that one gone forth should stay away from complex commercial dealings, places where ambition, exploitation, and entanglement with the world can easily arise.
Specifically, the disciplinary text prohibits such acts as exchanging one kind of goods for another, selling goods for profit, or taking part in transactions of buying and selling with the intention of gain. Instead, if monks or nuns need essential requisites, they should rely on the generosity of lay devotees or make requests through appropriate intermediaries.
This disciplinary text also distinguishes between actions intended as trade (vikkaya-samadhi) and permitted essential dealings, such as receiving requisites from donations or obtaining necessary items through appropriate channels under the supervision of the Sangha.
Practical Meaning
Kayavikkaya is not merely a formal rule, but also a symbol of the distinction between the renunciant life and worldly entanglements.
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