thumb|350px|Mural depicting the [[Buddha on almsround, from the Ajanta Caves]]
' or ' is a Pali term used to refer to the Buddhist monastic practice of almsround to the laity to receive almsfood and other necessities. Monks or nuns on piṇḍacāra go around town on foot with their almsbowl under their outer robe and make themselves available to the laity to receive almsfood (, piṇḍapāta).
Owing, however, to the precarity inherent in almost all aspects of Theravāda monastic life, there is no guarantee of collecting enough food for the day, if any at all. This precarity is particularly observable outside the Indosphere, or even within it in times of societal or systemic crisis.
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File:Pindapatta.jpg|Pindapata around Bodhigiri Vihāra, Balerejo, Wlingi, Blitar, East Java, Indonesia
File:Ajaan_Geoff_Almsround.jpg|Ṭhānissaro, an American monk, practicing piṇḍacāra by receiving piṇḍapāta in Portland, Oregon, United States
File:Empty_Cloud_Alms.jpg|Monks and nuns of Empty Cloud Monastery on piṇḍapāta in West Orange, New Jersey, United States
File:Dhammagiri_Forest_Hermitage_www.dhammagiri.org.au_315.jpg|Piṇḍapāta at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage, Brisbane, Australia
File:Dhammagiri_Forest_Hermitage_www.dhammagiri.org.au_310.jpg|Piṇḍapāta at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage, Brisbane, Australia
File:Pindapata_in_Myanmar.jpg|Piṇḍapāta in Myanmar
File:Luang_Prabang_Takuhatsu_ルアンパバーン_托鉢_DSCF7017.JPG|Piṇḍapāta in Luang Prabang, Laos
File:Buddhist_alms_in_Si_Phan_Don.jpg|Piṇḍapāta in Si Phan Don, Laos
File:Pindacara.jpg|Two monks performing piṇḍapāta on Street 172, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
File:Ladakh_(14686912823).jpg|Piṇḍapāta in Ladakh, India
File:Alms_giving_to_several_thousand_monks,_next_to_Central_World_in_Bangkok_on_the_morning_of_Sunday_18th_March_2012.png|Piṇḍapāta next to CentralWorld, Bangkok, Thailand
File:Monks_and_sunset_-_Flickr_-_Nagyman.jpg|Piṇḍapāta on a small island in Thailand
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Mahāyāna
In the practice of takuhatsu, monks travel to various businesses and residences to chant sutras in Sino-Japanese (thus generating merit) in exchange for donations of food and money.
Monks generally wear traditional takuhatsu clothes reminiscent of medieval Japanese garb and wear the names of their monasteries on their satchels to confirm their identities. This system is used by Zen monks in training to beg for their food, and is generally done in groups of ten to fifteen. The group walks through a street in single-file, chanting , and the faithful gather to fill their alms bowls. This is the monks' offering of the Dharma and their lives of guardians of the Dharma to the people. According to Zen tradition, the givers should be grateful.<gallery>
File:Pindapata_Takuhatsu_-_near_Ueno_Station_-_2013_11_8.webm|A Japanese monk practicing takuhatsu on a Tokyo street, 2013
File:Ueno_monk.jpg|Takuhatsu practice in Tsutsujigaoka, Chofu, Tokyo
File:Zuiouzi09.jpg|The practice of takuhatsu at Zuioji Temple
File:Kiyomizu-dera_National_Treasure_World_heritage_Kyoto_国宝・世界遺産_清水寺_京都249.JPG|Takuhatsu practice in Kyoto, Japan
File:50番繁多寺前で托鉢する遍路P1010122.jpg|Takuhatsu practice at Hantaji Temple, Matsuyama
File:Monks_doing_Pindapatta_before_Vessak_Day_2010_in_Magelang.jpg|A Mahāyāna monk performs alms-gathering before the 2010 Vesak holiday in Magelang City, Central Java, Indonesia
File:Monks_doing_Pindapatta_before_Vessak_Day_2010_in_Magelang,_Central_Java,_Indonesia.jpg|Mahāyāna monks performing alms round before the 2010 Vesak holiday in Magelang City, Central Java, Indonesia
File:Sunnataram_Forest_Monastery_5.jpg|Mahāyāna nuns on alms round at Sunnataram Forest Monastery in Bundanoon, New South Wales, Australia
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References
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See also
- Mendicant