Lzh Dg Bu Pm Pc 37Eating at the Wrong Time
Pāli / Sanskrit:Vikālabhojana
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The Sutta on Eating at the Wrong Time (Vikālabhojana)
Background
The Vikālabhojana Sutta is part of the Vinaya Piṭaka, especially within the Pātimokkha (Pātimokkha Sutta), the list of basic moral rules for the community of monks and nuns in the Early Buddhist tradition. The history of the arising of this rule is connected with events during the Buddha’s time, when disciples began forming communities of practice according to certain principles.
The rule on eating at the wrong time (Vikālabhojana-veramaṇī) is one of the important precepts (sīla) in the basic Five Precepts (Pañcasīla) and is strongly emphasized in the Vinaya Piṭaka. It is not an absolute commandment, but a voluntary training rule intended to support diligence in practice, especially for bhikkhus and monastics.
Main Content
According to the Theravāda tradition, “eating at the wrong time” (vikāla) is usually understood as eating solid food after noon until sunrise the following day. This period is regarded as an “unsuitable time” (akāla) for consuming the main meal, for reasons related to health, concentration (samādhi), and purity of body and mind.
This discourse does not merely issue a prohibition, but also explains the deeper reasons. They are: (1) eating in the evening or at night makes digestion difficult and burdens the body; (2) it causes loss of focus in meditation; (3) eating at the wrong time may create opportunities for other breaches of rules, such as lying, excessive pursuit of food, or manipulating others to obtain food.
This rule also applies differently to Mahāyāna monastics in Northern Buddhism, but in the Pāli Canon of Early Buddhism it is clearly recorded as part of the complete monastic character.
Practical Meaning
The rule of Vikālabhojana has profound meaning beyond simply not eating.
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