Bi Sk 5555. Receiving with soiled hand

Source Status

This entry has been regenerated as a Vietnamese AI interpretation translated into English, not as a translation of the original canonical text. The data available consists only of descriptive information: item code Bi Sk 55, belonging to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Pāli Theravāda tradition, the Vietnamese title “55. Receiving Food with a Soiled Hand,” the English title “Receiving with soiled hand,” the Pāli title Sāmisa, and the truncated ending of the Vietnamese text. No full source text has been compared within the scope of this data, so details of the text, the context of the rule’s establishment, related persons, or specific teachings beyond these data cannot be asserted.

Therefore, the section below presents only meanings that may be cautiously inferred from the title of the training rule, the Vinaya classification, and the style of the truncated passage. Terms such as bhikkhunī, training rule, conduct, mindfulness, and holy life are used in their general Buddhist sense, not as a replacement for consulting the Pāli text or scholarly translations.

Context

Item Bi Sk 55 lies within the group of training rules belonging to the Vinaya Piṭaka, concerning the way of life and conduct of renunciants. The Vietnamese title indicates that the focus is receiving food with a soiled hand. The Pāli title Sāmisa may be understood very generally as being connected with food or material substance, but the descriptive information is not sufficient for a deeper explanation of the Pāli sentence structure or technical scope of the term.

In the Vinaya tradition, small training rules about deportment should not be regarded as trivial. They form a discipline that helps renunciant life remain pure, simple, and trustworthy before the lay community. Receiving food is an everyday act but one of great significance: renunciants live by offerings, and therefore the way food is received also reflects gratitude, restraint, and respect.

The truncated ending emphasized that the image of a clean hand belongs not only to hygiene, but is also an expression of a trained mind. This is an interpretation consistent with the spirit of Vinaya study: a small bodily act may reveal inner quality, and carelessness in the body may become a condition for heedlessness in the mind.

Content That Can Be Determined from the Descriptive Information

From the title “55. Receiving Food with a Soiled Hand,” it can be determined that this training rule speaks about the way a renunciant receives food when the hand is not clean. The data does not provide the exact wording of the rule, so the conditions for offense, exceptions, specific objects of application, or procedure for handling it cannot be stated with certainty. However, the ending indicates that the prior interpretation regarded receiving requisites with a dirty hand as an improper act, subject to warning and correction.

The main point that can be stated is that bodily cleanliness is not separate from monastic virtue. When a person receives food from the support of laypeople, that act should be carried out with reverence. A soiled hand signifies lack of preparation, lack of attention, or lack of respect toward the food and the donor. Conversely, a clean hand signifies mindful presence in the moment of receiving.

This should not be interpreted as a purely formalistic doctrine. In the Vinaya, form has value because it supports the content of practice. A small gesture repeated every day can train carefulness. A practitioner does not wait until reciting, sitting in meditation, or teaching the Dharma to practice; precisely when washing the hands, walking, extending the hand to receive food, placing the bowl, or touching requisites, that person is learning to make body, speech, and mind upright.

Meaning for Practice

The practical meaning of this item lies in the transformation of one’s attitude toward ordinary things. Food nourishes the body to sustain the holy life; therefore, receiving food is not an act of consumption, but an occasion for contemplation. Renunciants receive not for enjoyment, not for beautifying the body, but in order to have strength to continue the life of practice. If that moment is carried out with a soiled hand, bodily carelessness can obscure the meaning of gratitude and restraint.

For lay practitioners, this training rule also has value as a reminder. Mindfulness is not only an abstract inner state. It can be seen in the way one prepares a meal, gives and receives objects, keeps a shared space, and avoids causing discomfort to others. Cleanliness here is not meant to nourish pride in purity, but to lessen coarseness, carelessness, and heedlessness.

A clean hand also evokes purity of intention. A student of the Buddha may ask: when I receive a meal, help, an opportunity, or advice, is my mind clean of greed, contempt, or demanding? From a rule about bodily action, one can enter into the correction of mental action: knowing how to receive with humility, use with moderation, and repay kindness through a life in accordance with the Dharma.

Note on Verification

The full source text should be compared at the source mentioned in the data before this item is used as scholarly material or as a citation from the Vinaya Piṭaka. In particular, one should check the Pāli original, the context of the rule’s establishment, the scope of application for bhikkhunīs, and the term indicating the type of offense, if any. Persons, place names, causes for establishing the rule, or procedural details should not be added when the data does not provide them.

This interpretation is intended only to replace the truncated Vietnamese text with a complete text, maintaining a dignified and cautious tone. It acknowledges the limits of the source, presents what can be known from the descriptive information, and states the meaning for practice according to the general spirit of Vinaya study. When the full source becomes available, this content should be reviewed to distinguish clearly what is the main idea of the original text and what is interpretive support for modern readers.