Upp Pd 1Receiving a Nun’s Food
Pāli / Sanskrit:Paṭhamapāṭidesanīya
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Paṭhamapāṭidesanīya Discourse: Receiving Food From a Bhikkhunī
Background
Paṭhamapāṭidesanīya, the first rule requiring acknowledgment, appears in the Ubhatasaṅgaha section, the twofold Vinaya, of the Theravāda tradition. This discourse is recorded as an event in the early history of the Buddhist Sangha, when bhikkhunīs, female monastics, were first admitted by the Buddha.
The historical background shows that at first the Buddha did not wish to permit women to go forth. However, through the circumstances of the requests made by the Buddha's aunt, Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī, and the intervention of the elder Ānanda, he agreed on the condition that a strict system of precepts be observed. The Vinaya Piṭaka was established to maintain dignity and discipline in the community of female monastics, while also protecting the harmony of the combined Sangha.
The Paṭhamapāṭidesanīya discourse relates directly to the rule on bhikkhunīs receiving food from the people or from bhikkhus, male monastics. This is an essential matter of ethics and discipline, because receiving food properly reflects the degree of respect and observance of the precepts by the nun.
Main Content
The rule recorded in Paṭhamapāṭidesanīya revolves around the matter that a bhikkhunī is not to receive food directly from the hand of a male bhikkhu without another bhikkhunī as witness. If a bhikkhunī receives food directly from a bhikkhu without the witness of a female companion in the path, this is considered a violation of discipline (pācittiya) requiring the nun to make a public acknowledgment (paṭidesanā) before the bhikkhunī Sangha.
This rule was established to avoid suspicions or groundless talk among the people. In the social context of ancient India, interactions between men and women were considered sensitive. Therefore, the Buddha wanted to ensure that bhikkhunīs acted with complete transparency, creating no opportunity for misunderstandings or decline in the people's faith.
🌏 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.