Bi Pc 119119. Accepting more than three bowlfuls
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dvittipattapūrapaṭiggahaṇa
A nun who accepts more than three bowlfuls of pastries must confess the offense.
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Explanatory Commentary on Bhikkhunī Pācittiya 119: Accepting More Than Three Bowlfuls of Flat Cakes
Background
This rule appears in the Pātimokkha of the Bhikkhunīs within the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition. It belongs to the detailed section of Vinaya concerning pācittiya offenses — transgressions that are not among the most serious but nonetheless require confession and expiation. The historical context of this rule is connected to the Buddha's establishment of the community of female monastics (the Bhikkhunī Saṅgha), with the aim of protecting integrity, mindfulness, and freedom from greed with regard to food — qualities that directly bear upon concentration (samādhi) and wisdom (paññā).
This rule is specifically concerned with the practice of piṇḍapāta — going on alms round. In the Theravāda tradition, monastics live by receiving food, bowl by bowl, from lay supporters. For bhikkhunīs, this rule limits the quantity of flat cakes (apūpa) or sweet cakes that may be accepted on a single alms round, so as to prevent greed, maintain humility, and avoid placing undue burden upon donors.
Main Content
According to the Dvittipattapūrapaṭiggahaṇa, if a bhikkhunī accepts more than three bowlfuls of flat cakes, she commits a pācittiya offense and must confess this transgression before the other bhikkhunīs. "Three bowlfuls" is understood here as a specific limit — a quantity sufficient to nourish the body without creating the conditions for the arising of greed.
This rule does not prohibit altogether the acceptance of flat cakes or sweet foods — which provide the energy necessary for practice. Rather, it establishes a clear boundary. This reflects the philosophy underlying Buddhist Vinaya: not absolute renunciation, but wise moderation. When this limit is exceeded, the act no longer arises from biological necessity but originates in a mind of preference (chanda) — that is, it arises from subtle sensual desire.
The offense is determined by the act of acceptance (paṭiggaha) — at the moment she receives the fourth cake or beyond.
🌏 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.