Lzh Dg Bi Pm Sk 41Stuffing Cheeks

Source Status

This entry has been regenerated as an AI-generated explanation based on the descriptive information: item number Lzh Dg Bi Pm Sk 41, Vietnamese title “Phình Má,” English title “Stuffing Cheeks,” Pāli title “Avagaṇḍakāraka,” belonging to “Comparative Vinaya — Chinese” in the tradition “Sectarian Buddhist Texts · Comparative.” There has been no comparison with the full source text in this session, so the original wording of the training rule, the circumstance of formulation, the specific object, or the degree of sanction cannot be confirmed. This version is an AI-generated explanation, not a translation of the original scripture or Vinaya.

The truncated end of the Vietnamese text shows that the previous text understood this entry as a rule concerning the manner of eating, especially not stuffing food so that the cheeks bulge, not eating hurriedly, and not creating an undignified appearance. The old passage also used concepts such as eating with awareness, maintaining strength for practice, and training in each movement of biting, chewing, and swallowing. This regenerated version continues in that direction, but avoids asserting that the source directly states all such terms or explanations.

Context

In Buddhist discipline, eating and drinking are an important field of practice. A meal is not only for sustaining the body; it is also a time when practitioners face desire, habit, haste, choice, and the feeling of satisfaction directly. Therefore, many training rules on deportment in eating remind monastics to eat mindfully, without noise, greed, or causing discomfort to others, and without turning the meal into a place where laxity is expressed.

The title “Phình Má” or “Stuffing Cheeks” evokes the image of putting so much food into the mouth that both cheeks become swollen. This is a very concrete expression of lack of moderation. It may make those who see it feel that the eating is coarse, hurried, or greedy. In the monastic environment, where every gesture contributes to the common quality of the community, such a manner of eating is not in accord with dignity. However, because the full text is not available, this version does not determine the exact context in which the training rule was stated.

What Can Be Determined from the Descriptive Information

From the Vietnamese title “Phình Má,” the English title “Stuffing Cheeks,” and the Pāli name “Avagaṇḍakāraka,” the focus can be identified as the act of stuffing food in the mouth or making the cheeks bulge while eating. The entry belongs to the Chinese comparative Vinaya collection, so it may be regarded as a training rule on deportment, reminding practitioners to keep a measured and dignified way of eating. There is no data to state what ceremony this belongs to, to whom it was spoken, or from what event it arose.

The content may be explained as follows: when eating, practitioners should not put too much food into the mouth at once. Such a way of eating is both unpleasant in appearance and diminishes the capacity for mindfulness. When the mouth is packed full, it is hard to chew slowly, hard to know clearly the arising and passing of taste, hard to recognize the body’s sufficiency, and easy to be pulled into greed. Eating a moderate amount in each mouthful helps practitioners see clearly the purpose of a meal: to sustain the body for maintaining the holy life, not to satisfy craving.

The old ending mentioned that even the way of biting, chewing, and swallowing is an opportunity to train mindfulness. This point accords with the spirit of deportment. Practice does not occur only on the meditation seat or during recitation; it enters even the smallest movements. When bringing food to the mouth, a practitioner can recognize the wish to eat quickly, the wish to choose a delicious morsel, the wish to take more, or irritation when the food is not to one’s liking. Through such recognition, the meal becomes a Dharma method for observing body and mind.

Meaning for Practice

The training rule “Stuffing Cheeks” teaches moderation through a very concrete image. Craving often does not appear immediately in grand forms; it shows itself in an overfull mouthful, a hurried movement, and an impatience that wants to swallow quickly in order to take more. When the Vinaya reminds practitioners not to stuff both cheeks full, it invites them to return to a slower rhythm, to knowing enough in each small mouthful. This is a way to train craving at the place where it is easiest to see.

Dignity in eating is also a form of respect. Practitioners respect the food that has come through wholesome conditions, respect the donors, respect the community eating together, and respect this body as a means of practice. Coarse eating causes that sense of gratitude to be lost. Eating slowly, moderately, and without displaying desire helps the meal become a purer act.

For laypeople, this lesson is also practical. In modern life, eating is often swept along by speed, screens, emotion, and excessive consumption. We may eat when not hungry, eat to cover stress, or eat without knowing that we are eating. Learning from the rule “Stuffing Cheeks,” practitioners can begin by taking a sufficient mouthful, chewing more slowly, placing attention on the body, and stopping before craving governs action. This is a way of bringing mindfulness into a very ordinary activity.

Comparative Notes

There has been no comparison with the full source text, so it is not confirmed what terminology the Chinese version uses for this, to whom it applies specifically, or what degree of fault it entails. Explanations about eating mindfully, moderation, guarding the sense faculties, or maintaining strength for practice are used as Buddhist explanations based on the descriptive information and truncated ending, not as quotations from the original wording.

When comparison becomes possible, it is necessary to check whether the entry “Avagaṇḍakāraka” stands in a sequence of training rules on eating, and whether it is related to rules about the size of a mouthful, chewing, sounds while eating, or attitude during the meal. At present, this version should be used as a cautious explanation for practice concerning eating deportment and the restraint of craving.