Xct Mu Bi Ss 5Encouraging Receiving Food From One With Lust
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kiṁ te avassuto vā anavassuto vā
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Explanation of the Discourse on Encouraging the Receiving of Food from One with Lust
Background
This discourse belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, in the Cūḷavagga section, where the rules of practice and illustrative stories connected with the discipline of the Sangha are preserved. The context of the discourse arises from specific cases in the monastic life of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs during the Buddha's lifetime.
At that time, matters of food and how those outside the monastic life gave were not small issues. The spiritual quality of the person offering food, as well as the attitude of those gone forth when receiving offerings, both affected the relationship between the community of devotees and the Sangha. Therefore, the Buddha gave specific guidance to help bhikkhus receive wisely in these situations.
Main Content
The title of this discourse, "Kiṁ te avassuto vā anavassuto vā" (Whether you are defiled or undefiled), points to an important principle: receiving food from a person with lust should not be absolutely forbidden.
Accordingly, bhikkhus are encouraged not to reject offerings of food from those who still carry lust (rāga), because that does not defile the virtue of one gone forth. The quality of the food is not changed by the state of mind of the giver. What is decisive is not the purity of the giver, but the purity of the receiver's mind.
The discourse emphasizes that the Buddhist Dharma does not discriminate among those who offer food based on the degree of their defilements. Instead, it focuses on the need for bhikkhus to maintain virtue, vigilance, and not create unnecessary distinctions in the process of receiving offerings. This reflects the complete spirit of Buddhist compassion - not excluding people, but guiding everyone toward the wholesome.
Practical Meaning
The profound meaning of the discourse lies in recognizing that practice should not depend on external factors or on the character of others. The mind of the practitioner is the sole determining factor.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.