San Lo Bi Pn 32Hiding the Bowl

Discourse on Hiding the Bowl (San Lo Bi Pn 32)

Background

This discourse appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, in the Sư Pramāṇa section (San Lo Bi Pn). The Vinaya Piṭaka is a collection of rules of practice and events related to the administration of the community of monks and nuns during the time of the Buddha Shakyamuni. Discourses in the Vinaya Piṭaka not only prescribe precepts (sīla), but also record the circumstances that gave rise to those regulations, usually arising from specific situations within the Sangha.

The title “Hiding the Bowl” (pātra-praticchādanā-pratisaṁyuktaṁ) points to a matter concerning the alms bowl (pātra), one of the basic possessions of every monastic. In the Theravāda tradition, the bowl is regarded as an important requisite of practice, and its use and care are both governed by specific regulations intended to train the mind and avoid afflictions such as greed, conceit, and laziness.

Main Content

According to the context of Vinaya disciplinary discourses, the issue of “hiding the bowl” arose from the behavior of certain monastics. They deliberately covered or concealed their bowls, perhaps to avoid having to lend them to other monastics, to keep their possessions hidden from others, or because of possessive thinking and fear of lack.

This conduct violates the spirit of the Buddha Dharma concerning sharing, loving-kindness (mettā), and non-greed (anabhijjhā). The bowl is a practical object within the monastic community. Although each monastic has the right to possess one, the spirit of using it must follow the principles of simplicity, non-attachment, and willingness to share when necessary.

When the Buddha learned of this conduct, he prohibited monastics from hiding their bowls. This is not merely a rule for managing property, but also an opportunity to train the mind. By not concealing things, the practitioner trains trust, freedom from fear of lack, and the cultivation of loving-kindness.