Upp Pd 4Receiving Food in a Dangerous Region
Pāli / Sanskrit:Catutthapāṭidesanīya
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Exposition of the Catutthapāṭidesanīya Discourse
On Receiving Food in a Dangerous Region
Background
The Catutthapāṭidesanīya discourse, the Fourth Declaration Discourse, is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, in the Pāṭidesanīya division, the rules that bhikkhus must declare or publicly acknowledge when violated. This discourse was completed by the Buddha in order to protect monks in complex situations, especially when they had to act in dangerous or unsafe regions.
The historical background of this discourse reflects the fact that in the early period of Buddhism, bhikkhus often had to travel through dangerous roads, through regions of warfare, or through localities where violent people were present. In such circumstances, observance of the training precepts (sīla) still needed to be maintained, but reasonable flexibility was also required to protect one's own life and wisdom.
Main Content
The Catutthapāṭidesanīya discourse states that when bhikkhus enter dangerous regions, where alms-gathering in the usual way becomes impossible or life-threatening, they may receive food provided in other forms, provided they observe certain conditions.
Specifically, the discourse states that a bhikkhu in a dangerous region may receive food from laypeople, or even from people who are not lay followers who have taken refuge, if the situation is necessary to protect life or health. However, after leaving the dangerous region, that bhikkhu must publicly declare before the Sangha, the community of bhikkhus, the violations he has committed. This declaration is not for humiliation, but to maintain the purity of the Teaching and to make the circumstances clear to the community.
In essence, this regulation reflects the Buddha's principle of the "Dharma-eye" (Dhamma-cakkhu): always first protect one's life, health, and spiritual capacity, and only afterward observe formal rules.
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