Lzh Dg Bu Pm Pc 38Storing Food
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sannidhikāraka
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THE SUTTA ON STORING FOOD (SANNIDHIKĀRAKA)
Background
The Sannidhikāraka Sutta (Storing Food) belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Early Buddhist tradition and is part of the Pātimokkha, the code of practice that bhikkhus must observe. This discourse is recorded in the Vinaya sections related to the management of property and monastic living.
The background for the arising of the discourse comes from practical regulations of the Buddha as the Sangha grew numerous. The issue of storing food, accumulating or reserving provisions, gave rise to disputes and troubles in the monastic community. Some bhikkhus stored too much food, leading to waste, impurity, or unfairness in the distribution of common food. Therefore, the Buddha established clear rules to correct the mentality of greed and ensure the spirit of communal living and fair sharing, core values of the Sangha.
Main Content
This discourse establishes that bhikkhus are not permitted to store too much food, especially foods that spoil easily. This rule is intended to counter excessive hoarding, greed, and thoughts inconsistent with the spirit of renunciation, abandoning material things and living with few wishes (appicchatā).
The specific regulations include: a bhikkhu may keep food only for the necessary time, and may not hide or store excessive reserves. If there is surplus food, it must be shared with the community or made clearly known to another person. In particular, perishable foods such as meat, fish, and milk should not be kept long. Secretly storing food is considered a violation of the training.
This rule does not completely prohibit keeping food; instead, it encourages transparency, moderation, and communalization. Its spirit is to keep the mind clean, avoid secret thoughts of private ownership, and thereby reduce desire and disputes within the Sangha.
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