How To Help A Bhikkhu

Normally a bhikkhu will not ask for things. Instead, he will wait for something to be offered. This is exemplified in the alms round where the bhikkhu makes no request, does not even look at people, although he may quietly wait to see if an offering is to be made before moving on. One way that lay people enable a bhikkhu to ask them for help is by making an invitation or pavaara.naa. ^[1]

The Buddha allowed a bhikkhu to accept pavaara.naa or invitation. Such an invitation is made when lay people decide to commit themselves to supplying medicines if a particular bhikkhu should ever become ill, or it can be a broader offer of help. (Although a sick monk is allowed to ask anyone for medicine, asking somebody who has already invited him with a pavaara.naa invitation is obviously preferable.) Therefore if lay people meet a bhikkhu who seems worthy of help and support, they may make such an invitation. Quite a number of the rules^[2] deal with what and how much may be asked for when a donor makes this formal invitation.

An invitation can therefore be quite specific about what is being offered and how long that invitation will last. (Obviously, if circumstances change or the request is unreasonable, the donor has no obligations — and a conscientious bhikkhu is always sensitive about this.)

A clear invitation^[3] will also help prevent misunderstandings. For instance, the bhikkhu will know exactly what has been offered and so will not ask for more than that; and the lay person will not be overwhelmed by extravagant requests.

The original circumstances of the forty seventh Confession Offence were as follows:

A lay supporter possessed much medicinal ghee so he invited the monks to make use of it during the following four months. Much of the medicine was still left, so he extended his invitation for another four months and then extended it for life. The Buddha allowed this. However, that same lay donor had once criticized the group of six monks because of their previous improper conduct so they decided to take their revenge by asking him for an impossibly large amount of medicine (ghee) and then criticized him when he could not immediately produce what he had promised. This rule was set down:

"A bhikkhu who is not ill may accept (make use of) a four- month invitation [pavaara.naa] to ask for requisites. If he should accept (make use of) it for longer than that — unless the invitation is renewed or is permanent — it is [an offence of Confession.]"

(Paac. 47; BMC p.393)

When the invitation is more vague — for example, a lay person may just say, "If you need anything, Bhante, let me know" — the bhikkhu should not exceed the spirit of the invitation. In fact some communities consider that an invitation in which the lay person does not mention any time limit is valid only for four months and that taking up the invitation beyond that time is an offence.

A bhikkhu is always allowed to ask for requisites from his relatives without having formal invitation first. (Whether they actually supply anything is, of course, up to them.) Relatives are considered to be those with whom the bhikkhu has common ancestors back through seven generations, on both the mothers and fathers side. Here in laws are not counted as relatives.

"Thus all descendants of ones great great great great great- great great grandfather are counted as ones relatives... [although] a bhikkhu at present would be well advised to regard as his relatives only those blood relations with whom ties of kinship are actually felt."

(BMC p.183)

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

This pavaara.naa should not be confused with the last day of the Rains Retreat, which is also called Pavaara.naa Day.

[2]:

Pavaara.naa (Invitations) and their Origin Stories:

(i) The son of a great merchant was so inspired by Ven. Upanandas Dhamma talk that he made an invitation of the four requisites, whereupon Ven. Upananda asked for one of the pieces of cloth that the lay man was actually wearing. The lay man replied that he would bring another cloth from home because walking around with only one cloth was not proper for him. Nevertheless, Ven. Upananda became very insistent so the lay man had to give up the cloth. People criticized the monks for being greedy and not being reasonable in their requests. The rule that resulted can be summarized:

"Asking for and receiving robe material from an unrelated lay person, except when ones robes have been stolen or destroyed, is [an offence of Confession with Forfeiture]." (Nis. Paac. 6; BMC p.189)

(ii) If he does beg and obtain the robe, he must forfeit it to another bhikkhu and confess the offence. When the circumstances are such that he is allowed to ask for a robe, he should not ask for more than two robes. This is covered by the next Rule:

"Asking for and receiving excess robe material from unrelated lay people when ones robes have been stolen or destroyed is [an offence of Confession with Forfeiture]." (Summarized Nis. Paac. 7; BMC p.192)

(iii) The Eighth Rule (Nissaggiya Paacittiya 8) arose because a bhikkhu overheard one of Ven. Upanandas supporters saying that he intended to give Ven. Upananda a robe. The bhikkhu went and told Ven. Upananda, whereupon Ven. Upananda visited (without invitation) the donor and specified exactly which kind of robe he wanted. The lay supporter commented, "these monks are insatiable and not easily contented. How can he, without having first been invited by me, make stipulations about a robe?".

"When a lay person who is not a relative is planning to get a robe for one, but has yet to ask one what kind of robe one wants: Receiving the robe after making a request that would raise its cost is [an offence of Confession with Forfeiture.]" (Summary: Nis. Paac. 8; BMC p.195)

It is no offence for the bhikkhu to request them to reduce the amount they were planning to spend.

(iv) The twenty sixth Confession with Forfeiture Rule:
"If a bhikkhu asks for thread from a lay person who is not a relative and who has not given [invitation] pavaara.naa and then has it woven into robe material by weavers, it is [an offence of Confession with Forfeiture]." (Nis. Paac. 26; Nv p.12)

(v) The twenty seventh Confession with Forfeiture Rule:

"If a lay person, who is not a relative and who has not given [invitation] pavaara.naa, should order weavers to make up some material for a robe for the bhikkhu, if then the bhikkhu instructs the weavers saying that if they make it better than they otherwise would have done he will give them some reward, it is [an offence of Confession with Forfeiture.]" (Nis. Paac. 27; Nv p.12)

o Although these Rules are about robe material, conscientious bhikkhus would regard other requisites in the same spirit.

[3]:

In modern Thailand, a person can offer support by giving a printed slip which may read: "I invite you with the Four Requisites equal in amount to the value of x amount that has been handed over already to the steward. As you have need of it, please request it from the steward."