San Lo Bi Vb Pc 82Supporting Oneself With Worldly Arts
Pāli / Sanskrit:Supporting oneself with worldly arts
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SUTTA ON SUPPORTING ONESELF BY WORLDLY OCCUPATIONS
Background
This rule belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically the Pātimokkha Saṃvara, the basic code of the Sangha. In the Theravāda context, bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs have vowed to follow a Pātimokkha consisting of hundreds of rules. This sutta deals with a specific situation: a bhikkhu supporting himself through worldly work, that is, skills or occupations that ordinary people perform to earn a living.
The Buddha and the elder monks always considered this issue with wisdom. The true Dharma requires a bhikkhu to live by means that are proper, clear, and free from deception. Yet the question arises: is a bhikkhu permitted to use worldly skills such as writing, calculation, carpentry, or similar activities to support himself?
Main Content
In this sutta, the Buddha and the Sangha determine that a bhikkhu supporting himself through worldly arts is not in keeping with the spirit of going forth. This is recorded as a rule of offense (Pācittiya), meaning a wrongful act requiring confession.
The deeper reason lies in the basic difference between the life gone forth and the worldly life. When a person enters the noble Sangha, he has renounced the main aspects of worldly life: agriculture, trade, manufacture, teaching students, and economic transactions. If a bhikkhu returns to these activities, even merely to support himself, he is undermining the nature of going forth.
Instead, the Buddha clearly specified acceptable ways of living: going for alms from those with compassionate hearts, accepting necessary requisites donated by the community, or, in special cases, receiving support from faithful laypeople. This both protects spiritual purity and creates an ethical relationship between the Sangha and the worldly community.
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