Bi Pc 127127. Visiting families before a meal
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cāritta
A nun who visits other lay people before or after an invitational meal must confess the offense.
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Cāritta — Meals and Monastic Discipline
Background
This rule appears in the Bhikkhuṇī Pātimokkha (the code of training rules for bhikkhunīs) within the Vinaya Piṭaka, the Basket of Discipline of the Pāli Canon. During the time of Śākyamuni Buddha, communities of bhikkhunīs (bhikkhuṇī saṅgha) were established with discipline organized in a systematic manner. The purpose of these regulations is to protect the reputation of the Sangha and to preserve purity of mind in the course of spiritual practice.
The term Cāritta refers to the conduct and comportment of one who has gone forth. In this context, it relates to visits made to the households of lay people under particular circumstances—specifically, before or after an invitation to a meal has been received. These households belong to upāsakas and upāsikās, faithful followers of the Buddha-Dharma who support monastics through offerings of food.
Main Content
Bhikkhuṇī Pācittiya 127 (one of the minor offenses requiring confession) states: if a bhikkhunī visits lay households on her own initiative before being invited to a meal, or after having already taken a meal at another household without a valid reason, she must formally confess the offense before the Sangha.
This transgression arises from a practical foundation: if bhikkhunīs visit households to which they have not been invited, or do so having already eaten elsewhere, this may create an unfavorable impression. Doubts may arise regarding their intentions—whether the bhikkhunīs have come out of a sincere wish for quiet practice, or in the hope of receiving additional offerings. In the Buddha's teaching, purity of intention (cetanā) is a central factor, and outward actions must faithfully reflect that intention.
Furthermore, this regulation also serves to avoid situations that may give rise to misunderstanding within the lay community. Visiting numerous households in a single day and giving the appearance of craving food may diminish the respect that people hold for those who have gone forth, and thereby affect the devotion extended to the Sangha and the Three Jewels as a whole.
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