Useful Notes

Contents

Invitation to Request

An invitation to request (pavāraṇā), unless otherwise specified, lasts at most four months. One may make requests of blood-relatives (but not in-laws) without receiving an invitation. One may give special help to one’s parents as well as to one’s steward and to anyone preparing to become a bhikkhu.

Vin.IV.101–104

Hatthapāsa Distance

The hatthapāsa generally means a distance within arm’s reach, or forearm’s length. There are variations in the specific way of measuring it.

It may be measured from the trunk of the body, until the tip of the fingers of one’s extended hands, about 1.25 metres. That is, one bhikkhu should be able to reach the other.

Other interpretations consider that the distance between the bodies of two bhikkhus should not be greater than the length from the elbow to the tip of the fingers. For example, a forearm’s distance between the knees of two seated bhikkhus.

The distance is measured horizontally, the vertical elevation is not taken into account.

Days and Dawns

The Vinaya definition for one day is the period of time between two dawnrises.

If one extends a hand and is able to see the lines in the palm (assuming the sky is clear), the dawnrise has already passed.

One may also use a clock and the time of nautical twilight. While the Sun is between 12 and 6 degrees below the horizon, dawnrise has not yet passed. Once the Sun is less than 6 degrees below the horizon, dawnrise has passed.

Seven-day Allowable Period

The seven-day tonics are permitted to be kept until the seventh dawnrise, not for a seven-day period, which is already past the seventh dawnrise.

The factor of effort here is keeping the tonic past the seventh dawnrise after receiving it.

Perception is not a factor, if one thinks the seventh dawnrise hasn’t passed, but it has, it is nonetheless a nissaggiya pācittiya offence.

The offence is to be confessed by the bhikkhu who received the items. If he has travelled away since, and the items are no longer with him to be forfeited, he may confess the offence, and the other bhikkhus may forfeit the items.

Mixing Allowables

The day on which food, one-day, seven-day and lifetime allowables are received should be kept in mind when mixing them, or consuming a mixture. Such a mistake can be made for example when receiving biscuits at the meal time, and mixing it with tea or coffee made with allowables offered on a previous day.

The mixture takes on the shortest lifetime of the ingredients. The combinations are described in the Mahāvagga:

(a.) 1d juice, received that morning
+ food, received that morning
→ is allowable that morning

(b.) 7d tonic, received that morning
+ food, received that morning
→ is allowable that morning

(c.) lifetime medicine, received that morning
+ food, received that morning
→ is allowable that morning

(d.) 7d tonic, received sometime
+ juice, received that day
→ is allowable until dawn

(e.) lifetime medicine, received sometime
+ juice, received that day
→ is allowable until dawn

(f.) lifetime medicine, received sometime
+ 7d tonic, received sometime
→ is allowable for 7 days

Consuming the mixture outside its allowable period is a pācittiya offence under Pc 38 (Stored food), even through lack of mindfulness. Perception is not a factor.

Mv. VI.40.3.

The Eight Utensils (aṭṭha-parikkhārā)

The three robes, the bowl, a razor/sharp knife, needle, belt, water-filter.

Ja.I.65

Unallowable Meats

The flesh of humans (this is a base for thullaccaya), elephants, horses, dogs, snakes, lions, tigers, leopards, bears, and panthers.

Vin.I.218-219

Also unallowable is flesh incompletely cooked, and meat from an animal seen, heard or suspected to have been killed in order that its meat be offered to bhikkhus.

Vin.I.218-219

Abusive Speech

The bases of abuse are rank of birth, personal name, clan name, work, art, disease, physical appearance, mental stains, faults, and other bases. There are both direct abuse and sarcasm and ridicule. Abusive speech may be a base for either expiation (or wrong-doing) or, when only teasing, for dubbhāsita.

Vin.IV.4-11

Lighting a Fire

Suitable reasons for lighting a fire, or having one lit (Pc. 56) include the health benefit of warmth, or needing the fire for a task, such as boiling water or burning garden waste.

For the health benefit, one is considered ill (gilāno) when one can not get by comfortably without warming oneself.

For a task, lighting a fire may damage plants (Pc. 11) and living creatures (Pc. 61), either on the ground or in the fire wood. Damage to plants or living creatures on the ground may be avoided by lighting the fire on stones, sand, in a tin box, or using portable gas stoves.

One may also indicate the task (kappiya-vohāra) for lay friends without an explicit instruction, who may light the fire.