San Sarv Bi Pm Tf 3215 Ss 5Encouraging Receiving Food From One With Lust
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kiṁ te avassuto vā anavassuto vā
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An Explanation of the Kiṁ Te Avassuto Vā Anavassuto Vā Sutta
Background
This sutta belongs to the Vinaya Pitaka in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, where the rules of practice and ethical teachings of the Sangha are preserved. The context of the sutta concerns conditions surrounding the receiving of food from those with a mind of desire (rāga). This was a practical issue encountered by bhikkhus in the course of their practice.
The question “Kiṁ te avassuto vā anavassuto vā” (provisionally translated: “Is that person bound by sensual desire or not?”) reflects a specific situation in the early days of the Sangha, when Buddhists took care to avoid matters that might cause misunderstanding or negatively affect the moral conduct of those gone forth. This sutta is recorded in the Pācittiya section (the thirty-five rules) or among the lighter prohibitions.
Main Content
The sutta presents the situation: when a bhikkhu receives food from a person with a mind of sensual desire (rāga), some may ask whether such an act constitutes an offense. This subtle question is not directed toward a simple restrictive purity, but toward distinguishing between the objective act and the actual intention.
Theravada Buddhism emphasizes that the core of action (karma) is intention (cetanā). This means that receiving food from a person with sensual desire is not the bhikkhu’s fault if that person has no sensual intention toward the one gone forth. However, the Buddha also taught the avoidance of situations that may cause misunderstanding or have an unwholesome character.
This sutta instructs that one gone forth should consider carefully: whether that person belongs to the Sangha, whether the person has spiritual faith, or whether the person is merely moved by sensual desire. If it is clear that the person has a mind of sensual desire and does not sincerely practice the Buddha Dharma, the bhikkhu should avoid the situation in order to preserve the purity of practice.
Practical Meaning
The sutta teaches an important lesson about discerning wisdom (paññā) in ethics.
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