Lzh Dg Bu Pm 2 Pc 29Eating Food Prepared on a Nun’s Instruction

Sutta on Eating Food Prepared According to a Bhikkhunī’s Instruction

Context

This sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically in the Parivāra, the detailed section on the rules of propriety for the fourfold community. The Vinaya Piṭaka records the disciplinary rules taught by the Buddha to monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen, in order to maintain order, purity, and harmony in the monastic community.

In the earliest historical context of Buddhism, preparing food for bhikkhus was a necessary act. However, strict rules were established to ensure that this act accorded with the spirit of practice and did not lead to excessive attachment to gain or to unfair discrimination. This sutta addresses one of the situations connected with eating food prepared or directed by a bhikkhunī.

Main Content

The word Paripācita, “fully cooked/prepared,” shows that this sutta concerns food that has been cooked or completely processed. According to the Vinaya Piṭaka, when food is prepared under the guidance of a bhikkhunī, whether she directly cooks it or instructs others to cook it, an issue arises concerning the rules of diligence in the Dhamma and the management of common property within the fourfold community.

In the Pātimokkha, the basic rules, the Buddha taught that a bhikkhunī should not request or instruct upāsakas or upāsikās to cook special food for herself in a way that could be regarded as greedy or undisciplined. However, when a bhikkhunī properly instructs the preparation of food in the correct way, that is, for the service of the community rather than for personal benefit, and the food is fully cooked (paripācita), then eating such food is permitted and does not violate the discipline. What matters is the intention behind the action and compliance with the rules concerning moderation, time, and openness.