Jaina Sutras Part IJainismAccepted ScripturePrakritShareAcharanga Sutra 14Hermann Jacobi / SBE vol. 22 - EnglishMoreVersion - 1 availableHermann Jacobi / SBE vol. 22LanguageEnglishEspañol‹Acharanga Sutra 1Acharanga Sutra 2Acharanga Sutra 3Acharanga Sutra 4Acharanga Sutra 5Acharanga Sutra 6Acharanga Sutra 7Acharanga Sutra 8Acharanga Sutra 9Acharanga Sutra 10Acharanga Sutra 11Acharanga Sutra 12Acharanga Sutra 13Acharanga Sutra 14Acharanga Sutra 15Acharanga Sutra 16Acharanga Sutra 17Acharanga Sutra 18Acharanga Sutra 19Acharanga Sutra 20Acharanga Sutra 21Kalpa Sutra 1Kalpa Sutra 2Kalpa Sutra 3Kalpa Sutra 4Kalpa Sutra 5›Acharanga Sutra: Sixth Lecture - Begging for a BowlAcharanga Sutra 14ListenPlay this chapter in spoken English.Save chapterListen to chapter1SIXTH LECTURE, CALLED BEGGING FOR A B0WL\ First Lesson. A monk or a nun wanting to get a bowl, may beg for one made of bottle-gourd or wood or clay, or such -like bowls. If he be a youthful, young, &c. (see II, 5, I, § i) monk, he may carry with him one bowl, not two ^. A monk or a nun should not resolve to go farther than half a Yo^ana to get a bowl. As regards the acceptance of a bowl, those four precepts which have been given in (the First Lesson of the First Lecture, called)^ Begging of Food, con- cerning one fellow-ascetic, &c., should be repeated here, the fifth is that concerning many ^Srama/^as and Brahmai^as. A monk or a nun should not accept a bowl which the layman has, for the mendicant's sake, bought, &c. (see the Lecture called Begging of Clothes*), (i) A monk or a nun should not accept any very expensive bowls of the following description : bowls made of iron, tin, lead, silver, gold, brass, a mixture of ^ Paesawa. ^ This applies, according to the commentator, to dnakalpikas, &c. Ordinary monks may have a drinking vessel besides the alms- bowl. ' See II, I, I, §11. ' 11, 5, 1, §3- gold, silver, and copper, pearl, glass, mother of pearl, horn, ivory, cloth, stone, or leather; for such very expensive bowls are impure and unacceptable. (2) A monk or a nun should not accept bowls which contain a band of the same precious materials specialised in J 2 ; for &c. 2(3) For the avoidance of these occasions to sin there are four rules for begging a bowl to be known by the mendicants. Now this is the first rule : A monk or a nun may beg for a bowl specifying its quality, viz. bottle-gourd or wood or clay. If they beg for such a bowl, or the householder gives it, they may accept it, for it is pure and acceptable. This is the first rule. (4) Now follows the second rule : A monk or a nun may ask for a bowl, which they have well inspected, from the householder or his wife, &c. After consideration, they should say : ' O long- lived one ! (or, O sister !) please give me one of these bowls, viz. one made of bottle-gourds or wood or clay.' If they beg for such a bowl, or the house- holder gives it, they may accept it ; for &c. This is the second rule. (5) Now follows the third rule : A monk or a nun may beg for a bowl which has been used by the former owner or by many people. If they beg for it, &c. (see f 5). This is the third rule. (6) Now follows the fourth rule : A monk or a nun may beg for a left-off bowl which no other 6'rama;za or Brahma72a, guest, pauper, or beggar wants. If they beg for it, &c. (see § 5). This is the fourth rule. I 68 AA'ARANGA SUTRA. A monk or a nun having adopted one of these four rules should not say, &c. (see II, i, ii, J 12, all down to) we respect each other accordingly. 3(7) A householder may perhaps say to a mendicant begging in the prescribed way : ' O long-lived ^'ra- ma/^a ! return after a month,' &c. (all as in the Lecture called Begging of Clothes^). (8) The householder may say (to one of his people) : ' O long-lived one ! (or, O sister !) fetch that bowl, rub it with oil, ghee, fresh butter or marrow, we shall give it,' &c. (see 1 1 , 5 , i , J 1 1 ) ; or ' wash, wipe, or rub it with perfumes,' &c. ; or ' wash it with cold or hot water;' or 'empty it of the bulbs,' &c. (see II, 5, i, §§ II and 12). (9) The householder may say (to the mendicant) : ' O long-lived KSrama/^a ! stay a while till they have cooked or prepared our food, &c., then we shall give you, O long-lived one ! your alms-bowl filled with food or drink ; it is not good, not meet that a mendi- cant should get an empty alms-bowl.' After con- sideration, the mendicant should answer : ' O long- lived one ! (or, O sister !) it is indeed not meet for me to eat or drink food &c. which is adhakarmika ; do not cook or prepare it ; if you want to give me anything, give it as it is.' After these words the householder might offer him the alms-bowl filled with food or drink which had been cooked or pre- pared : he should not accept such an alms-bowl, for it is impure and unacceptable. (10) Perhaps the householder will bring and give the mendicant an alms-bowl ; 4the mendicant should then, after consideration, say : ' O long-lived one ! (or, O ' II, 5, I, § 10. sister !) I shall in your presence closely inspect the interior of the bowl.' The Kevalin says : This is the reason : In the alms-bowl there might be living beings or seeds or grass. Hence it has been said to the mendicant, &c., that he should closely inspect the interior of the alms-bowl. (11) All that has been said in the Lecture called Begging of Clothes (II, 5, i, § 15 down to the end) is mutatis mutandis to be repeated here. (In ^15, add before perfumes) with oil, ghee, butter or marrow. This is the whole duty, &c. Thus I say. (12) Second Lesson. A monk or a nun, entering the abode of a house- holder for the sake of alms, should after examining their alms-bowl, taking out any living beings, and wiping off the dust, circumspectly enter or leave the householder's abode. The Kevalin says : This is the reason : Living beings, seeds or dust might fall into his bowl. Hence it has been said to the mendicant, &c., that he should after examining his alms-bowl, taking out any living beings, circumspectly enter or leave the householder's abode, (i) On such an occasion the householder might per- haps, going in the house, fill the alms-bowl with cold water and, returning, offer it him ; 5(the mendi- cant) should not accept such an alms-bowP either in ^ Though the alms-bowl is expressly mentioned, it must stand here for water, as the commentators interpret the passage. 170 A^ARANGA sOtRA. the householder's hand or his vessel ; for it is impure and unacceptable. (2) Perhaps he has, inadvertently, accepted it ; then he should empty it again in (the householder's) water-pot ; or (on his objecting to it) he should put down the bowl and the water somewhere, or empty it in some wet place. (3) A monk or a nun should not wipe or rub a wet or moist alms-bowl. But when they perceive that on their alms-bowl the water has dried up and the moisture is gone, then they may circumspectly wipe or rub it. (4) A monk or a nun wanting to enter the abode of a householder, should enter or leave it, for the sake of alms, with their bowl ; also on going to the out-of- door place for religious practices or study; or on wandering from village to village. If a strong and widely spread rain pours down, they should take the same care of their alms-bowl as is prescribed for clothes (in the preceding Lecture, Lesson 2, § 1). This is the whole duty, &c. Thus I say. (5) End of the Sixth Lecture, called Begging for a Bowl. ‹Previous chapterAcharanga Sutra 13Next chapterAcharanga Sutra 15›Similar passagesBy tradition and source labelFind similarCompare selectedCompare with similarAsk Deep ThoughtSelect passages to search for parallels.Tap any verse to select it, then compare selected passages or ask Deep Thought. Public-domain 1884 English translation