Xct Mu Bi Pm Np 16Bribing Weavers

The Mahāpesakāra Sutta (On Bribing Weavers)

Background

The Mahāpesakāra Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, in the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha. These are regulations concerning organization and discipline among bhikkhunīs who practice according to the Dharma and Sangha of the Buddha.

The story arose from an incident that occurred in the community of nuns. Some bhikkhunīs independently paid money or gave goods to weavers so that they would complete work more quickly, attempting thereby to evade related rules. This violation was discovered by the Buddha, and he gave a warning and established specific rules to prevent similar conduct.

This sutta is not a deep philosophical discourse, but a practical disciplinary rule, reflecting the Buddha’s clarity in educating disciples and maintaining the pure spirit of practice.

Main Content

In the Vinaya Pitaka, the Buddha teaches that bhikkhunīs must not bribe or encourage people to perform their personal work more quickly. Such an act is regarded as a form of attachment (lobha) and a violation of the principle of simplicity in practice.

The sutta makes clear that using money, clothing, food, or any goods to encourage or bribe others to perform that work is not in keeping with the virtue of a nun. This violates both the principle of pure restraint (saṃvara), the keeping of the precepts, and the principle of non-covetousness (anabhijjhā).

This rule was established to protect two important things: first, to maintain the purity of a nun’s practice; second, to avoid creating complicated relationships or bad public opinion from the outside community. A bhikkhunī should complete her own work or receive sincere help without needing to pay a wage.