Xct Mu Bi Pd 11Receiving Food From Designated Families
Pāli / Sanskrit:Tatiyapāṭidesanīya
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Explanation of Tatiyapāṭidesanīya
Confession Concerning Receiving Food from Designated Families
Background
Tatiyapāṭidesanīya (Pāli: Tatiyla = third; Pāṭidesanīya = confession/repentance) is one of the important Dharma rules in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This sutra was recorded in order to regulate the way of life of the monastic community, especially mistakes related to receiving food from specific families.
In the historical context, when monks and nuns began practicing after the nirvana of the Buddha, practical problems arose. Some bhikkhus did not observe the rule of alms-round (piṇḍapāta) strictly. Instead of accepting food from any family without selection, they selected wealthy families or those able to provide better food. This conduct was considered a violation of the spirit of humility and of not troubling laypeople.
Main Content
Tatiyapāṭidesanīya establishes that when a bhikkhu receives food from families designated in advance instead of observing the rule of freely going for alms without selection, that person commits a Pāṭidesanīya offense, a type of fault requiring public confession before the Sangha.
The core point of this Dharma rule is not a total prohibition on receiving food, but concerns the intention and action of the practitioner. If a bhikkhu has the mentality of being "afraid to trouble" other laypeople and therefore receives only from "safe" families, or conversely, out of greed, gives priority only to families capable of providing good food, both cases are violations. This fault differs from the Dharma rules Sammāditthi or Duttiyapāṭidesanīya in that it revolves around a specific act repeated again and again without repentance.
When discovered, the offender must confess before the monastic community (parisā) in the prescribed way, clearly stating the frequency, purpose, and time of the violation. Confession is not a punishment, but a means of purifying the mind and re-establishing commitment to the Vinaya.
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