Lzh Sarv Bu Pm Np 21An Extra Almsbowl
Pāli / Sanskrit:Patta
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THE DISCOURSE ON THE EXTRA BOWL (Patta)
Background
In the Vinaya Piṭaka of Theravada Buddhism, regulations concerning the requisites of the Sangha are not meaningless details. They reflect the spirit of financial independence and simplicity in the religious life. The text "Patta" (almsbowl) records an event concerning bhikkhus possessing more than one bowl, which is the most basic implement in the almsgoing life of a practitioner.
The Sangha in the Buddha’s time was formed on the principle of austerity and emptiness of material desires. The bowl (patta) is a symbol of the minimum that is needed, not abundance, but self-sufficiency. The issue of possessing many bowls is not merely a physical matter, but also reflects psychological motives: greed, fear, or the assumption that one must have a "reserve" for the future.
Main Content
The text records that the Buddha established specific regulations concerning the number of bowls a bhikkhu is permitted to possess. This regulation was not an arbitrary prohibition, but the result of offenses committed by bhikkhus. When some bhikkhus began to store up many bowls, disadvantages appeared: difficulty in keeping them, the arising of possessive ambition, and even conflict over property.
According to the principles of the Vinaya, a bhikkhu should possess only one bowl. If his old bowl is damaged, he is permitted to have an additional bowl for use while awaiting repair. However, if that bhikkhu has more bowls than are legitimately needed, that is an act violating the rule. The issue does not lie in having an additional bowl in a necessary case, but in the intention and motive behind the act.
This shows the difference between the Vinaya and secular legal systems: it regulates not only external action, but also considers intention and motivating reason (cetanā).
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