San Lo Bi Vb Pc 70Diverting Gains

Sutta on the Chapter of Diversion (Pariṇāmana)

Background

The Sutta on the Chapter of Diversion belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Nikāyas, the monastic law of Theravāda Buddhism. This is a rule belonging to the Pācittiya class of offenses, lesser violations requiring confession; in other words, ethical violations that a bhikkhu must confess before the Sangha.

The background of this sutta concerns the management of property and benefits within the monastic community. When the Buddha was still in the world, some bhikkhus made efforts in practice in order to accumulate wealth, or deliberately diverted benefits from one source to another in order to evade regulations. Such actions reflected attachment to material things and a lack of transparency in communal finances.

The Pariṇāmana Sutta was therefore established to prevent misuse of the shared resources of the Sangha and to require transparency in the management of benefits donated to the monastic community.

Main Content

The Sutta on the Chapter of Diversion lays down that if a bhikkhu deliberately diverts (pariṇāmana) benefits or property donated to the Sangha to another purpose or to an individual, that action is regarded as Pācittiya, an offense requiring clear confession.

“Diversion” here means changing or redirecting. For example, if articles, food, or money have been provided for the service of the whole Sangha but are redirected to serve a small group or an individual, this is a wrongful act. Or if a bhikkhu receives a benefit from a source of donation and deliberately redirects it to another unpermitted purpose, this too is prohibited.

This rule emphasizes the principles of fairness and transparency in the management of communal property. The Sangha must be a united community in which resources are distributed fairly according to need, not according to personal preference or favoritism.