Lzh Sarv Bu Vb Sk 8Na kalāpakaṁ
Pāli / Sanskrit:Na kalāpakaṁ
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Na Kalāpakaṁ Sutta: On the Rules for Establishing Legal Acts
Background
The Na Kalāpakaṁ Sutta (not a single cluster) belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Pāli Canon of the Theravāda tradition. It is part of the regulations concerning discipline in the community of monks and nuns, specifically related to the rules and conditions under which legal decisions are formed and regarded as valid in the Sangha.
The background of this sutta is connected with the development of the Sangha after the Buddha entered nirvana. As the number of monastics increased, clear rules were needed to administer internal matters. This sutta is one part of those instructions, intended to ensure that decisions made were lawful and accepted by the whole Sangha, or at least by the majority of its members.
Main Content
The Na Kalāpakaṁ Sutta concerns the basic principle that decisions cannot be formed when the Sangha has not been properly assembled. The phrase "Na kalāpakaṁ" means "not a cluster" or "not a group properly gathered," emphasizing that any legal act or decision must be performed in the presence of a minimum number of bhikkhus.
According to the Vinaya regulations, there are four ways in which the Sangha may make a decision (saṅghakamma): through unanimity (samagga), through the majority (mahājana), through a method of voting (balottissara), or through authorization (anumatikamma). However, all these methods require that the Sangha be properly assembled, with a sufficient number and the proper members present.
This sutta also defines exceptional cases: when a member is absent because of illness, distance, or other valid reasons, there may be other arrangements, but the principle must still be maintained that the decision is to be considered carefully and comprehensively.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.