San Sarv Bu Pm Finot Pd 3Receiving Food From Designated Families

Tatiyapāṭidesanīya Sutta: Receiving Rice from Designated Families

Background

Tatiyapāṭidesanīya, the third Pāṭidesanīya rule, is one of the training rules found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pāṭidesanīya section, offenses requiring public declaration. This discourse reflects a specific situation in the early Sangha, when the Buddha and the bhikkhus had to establish reasonable rules for communal living in order to maintain discipline and trust from the lay community.

The background arose from disputes or inappropriate situations that occurred when bhikkhus received food from certain families without observing the standards established by the Buddha. The Vinaya Piṭaka records that bhikkhus must maintain strict standards in the way they receive sustenance, because this is directly related to honesty, discipline in practice, and relationships with householders (upāsaka).

Main Content

The Tatiyapāṭidesanīya rule states that bhikkhus should not choose specific families on their own initiative from whom to receive rice or food (bhatta) without designation or permission from the Sangha. If a bhikkhu commits this offense, that is, receives food from “designated” families in an improper way or from a personal motive, he must declare this offense publicly before the Sangha.

This offense is not a pārājika, leading to defeat, nor a saṅghādisesa, requiring formal Sangha procedure, but a pāṭidesanīya, meaning “requiring declaration.” The bhikkhu must acknowledge the wrong action before the monastic community, without concealment or denial. This action does not lead to expulsion from the Sangha, but it is a serious warning and an opportunity for the monastic to restore a wholesome mind and redirect his intention.

This discourse also reflects a basic principle of the Vinaya Piṭaka: one must not discriminate among householders, and personal preference should not be allowed to affect the fairness, simplicity, and non-grasping of a monastic.