Lzh Dg Bi Vb Sk 47Soiling
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sāmisa
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Sutta on Purity Concerning Food (Sāmisa)
Background
This sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, specifically in the Bhikkhu Vibhaṅga, where the conduct and rules of practice for the community of bhikkhus are explained in detail. The section “Soiling” (Sāmisa, provisionally translated “purity concerning food”) concerns regulations on contact with and handling of food in the life of the Sangha.
The background for this sutta arose from specific situations in the bhikkhu community, when the Buddha or the elders saw the need for clear guidance on maintaining cleanliness and discipline in daily activities. This reflects a basic principle of the Vinaya Piṭaka: teaching gradually, based on specific cases from which rules arise.
Main Content
The Sāmisa section concerns matters related to contact with food and material things, things that are “material, mixed, or tainted.” Sāmisa means things connected with meat, food, or sensual materiality. This sutta clearly prescribes which actions are considered violations of the rule of purity, especially in the context of maintaining mindfulness and not being governed by material factors.
The regulations in this section include situations in which a bhikkhu comes into contact with food or objects for the satisfaction of desire, or shows disregard for the teachings on moderation. In particular, the sutta focuses on the principle that a bhikkhu needs to preserve spiritual purity by not allowing material things to govern his decisions and actions.
This does not mean that a bhikkhu must refuse food, but that he needs to cultivate the proper mental attitude: eating with mindfulness, not falling into liking or disliking, and always remembering that food is only a means to maintain health for the practice of the Dharma.
Practical Meaning
The Sāmisa Sutta teaches us a valuable lesson about self-mastery and mindfulness.
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