Lzh Sarv Bu Pm Sk 62Receiving Respectfully
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sakkaccapaṭiggahaṇa
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Sakkaccapaṭiggahaṇa Sutta: Receiving Respectfully
Background
The Sakkaccapaṭiggahaṇa Sutta (receiving respectfully) is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the section regulating the discipline and order of the Buddhist Sangha. This is not a Dharma discourse for realizing the path, but practical instruction on conduct when a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī receives offerings, robes, food, and other material requisites needed for practice.
In the historical context of early Buddhism, the Sangha lived mainly through the offerings of lay Buddhists. Therefore, receiving these items worthily, without greed or negligence, was an important ethical matter. This rule instructs bhikkhus how to act in order to protect both the donors and themselves, maintaining the purity of the monastic lineage and the confidence of Buddhist laypeople.
Main Content
“Sakkacca” (respectful, careful) joined with “paṭiggahaṇa” (receiving) forms the principle that what is received must be received with carefulness, mindfulness, and respect. This does not only concern the physical act of receiving items, but also includes the mental attitude of the receiver.
Specifically, when a bhikkhu receives robes, food, medicine, or any requisites from lay Buddhists, he should:
First, receive with a pure mind, without craving or negligence. If the mind is governed by greed, the act of receiving becomes a means of creating unwholesome karma.
Second, clearly recognize that it is an offering given with sincere faith. Therefore it must be received for its proper purpose, namely to maintain health and the capacity for practice, not for hoarding or for unsuitable purposes.
Third, express gratitude and respect. Receiving respectfully acknowledges the compassion of the donor; it is a form corresponding to the second Precept in the Five Precepts (Pañcasīla), concerning not stealing, because the offering is property voluntarily given and should be used worthily.
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