San Sarv Bu Pm Tf 11 Sk 61Satkṛtya sūpaṁ pratigṛhīṣyāma

Exposition of the Satkṛtya sūpaṁ pratigṛhīṣyāma Sutta

Background

This sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, where disciplinary regulations for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis in the Buddhist Sangha are recorded. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not merely a collection of prohibitions, but also a profound ethical system intended to guide practitioners to live peacefully and harmoniously within the Sangha community.

The passage bearing the title "Satkṛtya sūpaṁ pratigṛhīṣyāma" may be translated as "We shall receive well-prepared food respectfully" and concerns regulations on receiving bhojana (food, especially rice) from laypeople or on special occasions. This is part of the rules governing the property and provisions of the Sangha, an important matter in the management of a community of practice.

Main Content

The sutta deals with the situation in which bhikkhus receive food that has been prepared in a dignified and proper manner. The word "satkṛtya" means "well done, prepared respectfully," and "sūpa" refers to dishes or rice gruel. This aspect concerns circumstances in which the receiving of food must follow certain principles.

In the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, these rules arise from a basic principle: bhikkhus should not pay excessive attention to the taste of food or luxurious ways of eating, because greed disturbs the mind. Nevertheless, the lawgivers also recognized that the transfer of food from donors needed to take place in an orderly way, so as to avoid confusion or disorder that would trouble the Sangha.

This sutta, found in the section of rules concerning Pācittiya (offenses requiring expiation), may be related to specific situations such as receiving food at appropriate times, or the conditions under which such receiving is valid according to the rules of monastic training.