Bowls

  • NP 21, Keeping extra bowl
  • NP 22, Asking for new bowl
  • Pc 60, Hiding another's requisites
  • Pc 86, Needle box

NP 21, Keeping extra bowl

Object: A suitable alms-bowl.

Five factors of an allowable bowl: proper material, size, fully paid for, fired, not damaged beyond repair.

Allowed materials: clay, iron. Stainless steel by extension.

Forbidden materials: wood, gold, silver, pearl, beryl, crystal, bronze, glass, tin, lead, copper. Aluminium by extension.

Proper size: Smaller than a human skull is too small. Medium size is ~22.5 cm diameter.

Effort: When the new bowl reaches one's hands, one may only keep it as 'extra' for 10 days.

One must either determine it for use, place it under shared ownership (vikappana), abandon it or give it away.

The offense occurs on the 10th dawnrise after receving it.

Perception is not a factor.

There is no offense if the bowl is lost, destroyed or stolen before the 10 days are up.

Using an undetermined bowl is a dukkaṭa offense.

NP 22, Asking for new bowl

Origin: a potter offers to make bowls for the bhikkhus. Some of them abuse the offer without moderation, and the potter no longer has time for his business work.

A bowl should be repaired as long as possible.

The offense is dukkaṭa when asking, a nissaggiya pācittiya when receiving it.

'Asking' refers to asking from lay supporters. One may ask the Sangha for a new bowl from the stores, and the community will decide whether the request is justified.

Note: describe the forfeiture and bowl exchange procedure.

Non-offenses

Asking from

  • a relative
  • if one was invited to ask
  • a new bowl with one's own resources
  • asking for the sake of another from relatives or through invitation

Pc 60, Hiding another's requisites

Object: bowl, robe, sitting cloth, needle box, or belt.

Hiding other requisites is a dukkaṭa offense.

Hiding the requisites of a samanera or anagarika is a dukkaṭa offense.

Perception of whose requisite it is, is not a mitigating factor.

A 'friendly game' fulfils Intention all the same.

Non-offenses

  • putting away items to their proper place
  • putting it away as a teaching lesson, with the intention to give it back after an admonition about not leaving requisites scattered around

Pc 86, Needle box

Origin: similar to NP 22, but with an ivory-worker. Remember to not over-burden lay supporters by requesting items which are difficult to make or obtain.

Forbidden materials: bone, ivory, horn.

Allowed materials for a needle box are not explicit, but a needle tube is allowed of reed, bamboo, wood, lac (resin), fruit shells, copper, conch-shell.

Receiving and using the improper item when it was requested by oneself (e.g. given as a surprise gift) is a dukkaṭa offense.

The intention of the rule was (a) to stop the fashionable fad, and (b) to not be burdensome for lay people who offered their help.

The materials themselves are not banned, a number of other items are allowed to be made of bone, ivory or horn.

A bhikkhu should be aware of the civil law regarding the materials, such as a ban on ivory trade, or the border regulations on horn (and plant) materials in New Zealand.

In some countries bhikkhus commonly use robe-tags, buttons, etc. made of bone or horn.