Korea Journal of Buddhist Studies ISSN:1598-0642(Print) 불교학연구

The prohibition of all the production activities, one meal a day, three robes and one bowl (三衣一鉢), and the four necessities (四衣), are the principles which are mentioned as the Buddhist practitioners’ archetypal lives of food, clothing and shelter. These principles make us have a vague prejudice that Buddhism was a religion aimed at thorough non-possession. However, if we look at the collected Buddhist precepts (律藏, Vinayapiṭaka ) that prescribe the daily lives of Buddhist monastic communities, we can see that, from Buddhism’s earliest history, Buddhist communities lived comfortably with food, clothing and shelter provided by lay believers who would invite Buddhists to dinner and/or donate all their necessities. As long as something is not too extravagant and doesn’t place an economic burden on the donor, the Buddhist precepts do not place much restriction on what can be donated. Buddha’s concern was not the possession or the non-possession of materials themselves but the liberation from desire for and attachment to materials. However, it may not have been easy to not have desire and attachment before the materials. This treatise intends to confirm how Buddha tried to mitigate the problems that sometime arise from excessive want and attachment to things by consideringthe principles that regulate what a monk can possess and the distribution of goods within the Buddhist monastic community. I will focus on the Vinayapiṭaka that deals with the distribution of food, clothing and shelter to monks. From a review of these provisions in the Vinayapiṭaka , I will confirm how the distribution of these things was designed to overcome excessive want and attachment. The first thing we must look at is allowable individual possessions and how want and attachment to things is blocked by the principle of having only enough to live but not to the point of tormenting the body. Consideration must also be given to living a life of Buddhist practice without excessive discomfort. The second thing we must look at is the distribution of wealth within the Buddhist monastic community. The Buddhist community views almost all material goods as belonging to the Buddhist community and distributes them among all members without anyone feeling slighted. Monks therefore develop no attachment to things but accept such distribution with almost a feeling of contentment. The third aspect we must look at is the individual monks’ change in perception. By being satisfied with what they have and conceding to others, they emphasize peaceful co-ownership and harmony, not lust or attachment to things.