Lzh Sarv Bu Vb Np 22An Almsbowl With Fewer Than Five Mends
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ūnapañcabandhana
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SUTTA ON A BOWL WITH FEWER THAN FIVE MENDS
Background
The Ūnapañcabandhana Sutta (A Bowl With Fewer Than Five Mends) belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, the collection of training rules taught by Śākyamuni Buddha to the community of monks and nuns. It addresses a practical issue in managing monastic property, especially almsbowls, the basic implements for the almsround of those gone forth.
In the Theravāda tradition, maintaining almsbowls is a serious responsibility. Bowls may crack or become damaged through long use. When a bowl is damaged, a monastic must decide whether it can still be repaired. This text addresses an important criterion: a bowl is considered still usable if it has fewer than five mends (bandhana), that is, reinforced, patched, or joined places.
The expression “ūnapañcabandhana” means “with fewer than five mends.” This is a practical threshold for decision: a bowl may continue to be used until it has five or more repairs.
Main Content
The text prescribes that an almsbowl may still be accepted for use in the monastic community so long as it has fewer than five repaired places. This has a clear practical meaning: the bowl is an essential implement for almsround, so monastic property must be managed reasonably.
This determination is not arbitrary. When a bowl has too many patches, five or more, it becomes fragile, easily broken, and no longer safe to use. The mends are carefully counted to ensure that the implement remains functional, protects the integrity of the food received on almsround, and reflects reasonable management of the community’s material goods.
This rule also has a profound educational implication. It teaches monastics about limits, acceptance of reality, and knowing when to relinquish old requisites. This is a lesson in not clinging excessively to material things, expressing the spirit of the Middle Way of the Buddha-Dharma.
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