What is the name of the alms bowl?

Those alms bowls are usually called bowls.

Bowls are utensils used by monks and monks. Some monks or monks will use bowls to beg for alms from ordinary people when traveling or when there is no food source for a certain period of time. For example, in The Journey to the West, one of China's four classical novels, Tang Priest and his disciples often use bowls to make alms and wrap their stomachs.

Bowl picture

The origin of Laba Festival is as follows:

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, people in China have the custom of eating Laba porridge. It is said that Laba porridge comes from India. The founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni, was originally the son of King Surabaya of Kapylovi in northern ancient India. He saw that all living beings were suffering from physical illness, disease and death. He was dissatisfied with the theocratic rule of Brahmins at that time and gave up the throne and became a monk.

After six years of asceticism, he became a Buddha under the bodhi tree on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. In the past six years, I have only eaten one hemp and one meter a day. Later generations did not forget his sufferings. Every year on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, they ate porridge to commemorate Laba, and this day became the "Buddha Enlightenment Day".

"Laba" is a grand festival of Buddhism. Before liberation, Buddhist temples all over the country held Buddhist bathing meetings and chanting scriptures, and imitated the legend of a shepherdess offering chyle before Sakyamuni became a monk. They cooked porridge with fragrant grains and fruits for the Buddha, which is called Laba porridge, and dedicated Laba porridge to disciples and kind men and women. Later, it became a folk custom.

It is said that in some monasteries, before the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, monks would hold alms bowls along the street and cook the collected rice, chestnuts, dates, nuts and other materials into Laba porridge and distribute it to the poor. Legend has it that eating it can get the blessing of Buddha, so the poor call it "Buddha porridge"

It is said that Tianning Temple, a famous temple in Hangzhou, has a "rice stacking building" for storing leftovers. Usually, monks dry leftovers every day to save a year's surplus grain. When they eat it, it means that they can increase their happiness and longevity. It can be seen that Laba porridge was cooked on the eighth day of each month and distributed to believers, which was called the virtue of "Fushou porridge temple monks cherish food".

Laba porridge:

Laba porridge was cooked with adzuki beans and glutinous rice in ancient times, and then the materials were gradually increased. People in the Southern Song Dynasty carefully wrote "Old Wulin Stories" and said, "Cooking porridge with walnuts, pine nuts, chestnuts, persimmons and chestnuts is called' Laba porridge'. Up to now, people in Jiangnan, Northeast and Northwest China still have the custom of eating Laba porridge, which is rare in Guangdong.

The difference between charity and beggar

The difference between charity and begging is that charity is a good relationship, and begging is asking others to help you.

Charity refers to the act of seeking fate, that is, the act of seeking a certain fate. Generally speaking, almsgiving belongs to the behavior of monks looking for fate outside. The purpose of giving is to pray and publicize Buddhist knowledge. Begging refers to the act of begging outside, that is to say, the act of asking for free outside. Begging is generally a beggar's behavior and is looked down upon by people.

The meaning of giving:

Because Buddhism believes that those who can give alms to fasting monks are all people who are predestined friends with Buddhism, and monks make good relations by collecting money and begging, so it is called giving alms. It can also refer to all activities of raising money for Buddhism, not just begging for food. The original meaning is the reason why Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, eminent monks and others show their enlightenment to all beings. The so-called alms refer to the degree of karma.

The word charity is extremely solemn, such as Buddha Sakyamuni, which appeared in the world for great cause. This cause is charity, that is, the cause of transforming, educating and crossing the sea of life and death is charity. If the Tathagata dies, it is also said that those who should be measured, if heaven and earth, all know the degree, and those who are not measured, also create the degree.

Bowl picture

This "bowl" was given to Tang Priest by Li Shimin and named Zijin Bowl, so none of the three disciples had this bowl.

Zijin Bowl is a very important prop in Journey to the West. Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, gave Tang Sanzang a alms bowl for alms. However, this is not its greatest function. When the four disciples arrived at Leidayin Temple after 81 difficulties, the Tathagata Buddha gave them several scriptures. But the two disciples of the Tathagata didn't get any benefits from the four disciples, so the Tathagata disciples gave them scriptures without words. Then the Monkey King told Tathagata about it, and Tathagata didn't take him seriously. He said: "We can't let future generations run out of money." Tang Priest can only reluctantly give the Zijin Bowl to the Tathagata disciples in exchange for the scriptures. Therefore, this purple and gold bowl also contributed to the way for the four disciples to learn from the scriptures.

However, the original intention of the Buddha is not to ask for money, and money is of little use to the Buddha. He should just want to let the world know that the value of scriptures is more precious than these treasures. The Buddha also said that he experienced hardships, but he was sent away without words. To put it bluntly, these sufferings are not taken seriously and are not considered worthy of changing scriptures.

The Buddha wrote scriptures to make people enlightened, understand the true meaning, and then free themselves from suffering. If you don't think you are precious, then the world will look down on you and not think you are precious. Only with a lot of money will someone pay attention. This has become a reason to trade usury for scripture. Zijin Bowl took on this role. As a royal gift from the emperor to Tang Sanzang, it is unique and extremely precious, and it is not surprising that it is used to exchange scriptures.

What's the name of the bowl in Tang Priest's Garden?

Taowan

When monks go out to fast, they are called "holding bowls", and the utensils for fasting are bowls.