Lzh Dg Bu Vb Pc 32Eating Successive Meals

– THE FOUR-PART VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

32. EATING SUCCESSIVE MEALS

A. ORIGIN OF THE RULE

At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling in the Bamboo Grove, the Kalandaka Park, in the city of Rājagṛha. From the city of Rājagṛha, the Blessed One traveled through the human realm together with a great assembly of twelve hundred and fifty bhikkhus.

At that time, the harvest in the land had failed, the price of rice had risen high, alms were difficult to obtain, and people bore the look of hunger on their faces.

At that time, five hundred mendicants were following behind the Blessed One. There was then a brahmin named Sānu who had loaded five hundred carts full of food and drink and was following behind the Blessed One from winter through summer, waiting for a day when no one else would be making an offering, so that he might prepare a meal to offer to the Buddha and the Sangha.

At that time, the Blessed One, traveling from the land of Magadha and teaching gradually as he went, arrived at the frontier of the land of Anāthapiṇḍada. The people of that land competed with one another to offer food to the Buddha and the community of bhikkhus, and there was not a single day without offerings. The brahmin waited and waited, but no free day arose for him to prepare a meal and make his offering. He therefore went to the Venerable Ānanda and said to him:

"I am Sānu, and I have five hundred carts loaded full of food and drink. Through all of winter and into summer I have been following behind the Blessed One, waiting for a day when no one else makes an offering so that I may prepare a meal and present it. Yet to this day I have still not been able to make my offering, for there has not been a single day without someone offering.

We are lay people, beset by many difficulties—we must render service according to the orders of officials, we must appear on days of adjudication, we must attend to household affairs, and we must supply goods and grain to the authorities. Ever running after affairs both public and private, we have not a moment of rest. I beg the Venerable One to report this to the Blessed One on my behalf.

Whatever the Blessed One teaches, we shall respectfully carry it out. If the Buddha and the Sangha cannot accept our offering, then we shall spread the food from these five hundred carts upon the road. We pray that the Buddha and the Sangha will walk upon it as they pass—that shall count as their acceptance of our offering."

The Venerable Ānanda said:

"Wait a moment. I will go and inform the Blessed One right now."

Thereupon the Venerable One went to where the Blessed One was, paid homage at the Buddha's feet, and stood to one side. He then reported this matter in full to the Blessed One:

"Venerable Blessed One, the brahmin Sānu has just come to me and spoken thus: 'I have five hundred carts loaded full of food and drink. Through all of winter and into summer I have been following behind the Blessed One, waiting for a day when no one else makes an offering so that I may prepare a meal and present it. Yet to this day I have still not been able to make my offering, for there has not been a single day without someone offering.

We are lay people, beset by many difficulties—we must render service according to the orders of officials, we must appear on days of adjudication, we must attend to household affairs, and we must supply goods and grain to the authorities. Ever running after affairs both public and private, we have not a moment of rest. I beg the Venerable One to report this to the Blessed One on my behalf.

Whatever the Blessed One teaches, we shall respectfully carry it out. If the Buddha and the Sangha cannot accept our offering, then we shall spread the food from these five hundred carts upon the road. We pray that the Buddha and the Sangha will walk upon it as they pass—that shall count as their acceptance of our offering.' I said to the brahmin Sānu, 'Wait a moment; I will go and inform the Buddha.' And so I have come to report this, and I humbly await the Blessed One's guidance."

At that time, the Blessed One said to the Venerable Ānanda:

"You may go and tell the brahmin that tomorrow morning he may cook that food and drink into porridge and offer it to the bhikkhus to eat before the main meal."

Thereupon the Venerable Ānanda, in accordance with the Buddha's instruction, went to where the brahmin was and said:

"You may cook those provisions into porridge and offer it to the bhikkhus to eat before the main meal."

At that time, the brahmin looked over what had been offered and saw that there were no cakes among the provisions. So that night he prepared various fine ingredients—ghee, sesame seeds, fresh milk, clean water, ginger, pepper, and pippalī—to cook various kinds of porridge and to make various kinds of cakes. When the night had passed, Sānu brought the porridge and offered it to the Buddha and the community of bhikkhus. However, the bhikkhus did not dare accept it, and said to the brahmin: "The Blessed One has not yet permitted bhikkhus to accept ghee and the other three medicines cooked into porridge."

Thereupon the bhikkhus reported this matter to the Blessed One in full. The Blessed One said to the bhikkhus:

"From this time forward, I permit bhikkhus to accept ghee and the other three medicines cooked into porridge for eating. Eating porridge has five benefits: it dispels hunger, it dispels thirst, it aids in digesting food retained overnight, it regulates urination, and it cures wind-diseases. Such are the five benefits of eating porridge."

Thereupon the brahmin presented cakes. The bhikkhus did not dare accept them and said to the brahmin:

"The Blessed One has not yet permitted bhikkhus to accept cakes."

The bhikkhus then went and informed the Buddha. The Blessed One said:

"From this time forward, I permit bhikkhus to accept cakes for eating."

At that time, the lay people in the land of Anāthapiṇḍada heard that the Blessed One had permitted the acceptance of cakes and porridge for eating, and they were all greatly delighted. They said to one another:

"We have the opportunity to make merit through offerings."

After they had made their offerings, there was a high official of shallow faith who, seeing that the Buddha and the Sangha had received so many offerings, said the following:

"This is not a field of little merit. Even in a time of scarce grain, the Buddha and the community of bhikkhus have received offerings in such great abundance. Now I should prepare various fine and nourishing foods and drink to offer, giving each one a bowl of meat."

Thereupon the high official sent someone to the monastery to say:

"Venerable Sangha, I humbly request that the reverend ones accept my meal offering tomorrow."

That night the official had various fine, sweet, and nourishing foods and drink prepared, and in the morning sent word that the time had come.

On that day, the Blessed One remained at the monastery and sent someone to receive the allotted portion.

At that time, the lay people in the land of Anāthapiṇḍada had previously heard that the Blessed One had permitted bhikkhus to eat porridge, and so that same night they too prepared the various kinds of porridge as described above in full measure, and early the next morning brought it to the monastery to offer to the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus had previously already accepted another person's invitation to a meal, and had further eaten this thick porridge, and only after that did they go to the high official's house. At that time, the high official of shallow faith presented the various foods and drink to the bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus said:

"Enough, enough—just serve a small portion."

The high official said to the bhikkhus:

"It was for the sake of the bhikkhus that I prepared fine and nourishing foods and drink, offering each one a bowl of meat. Venerable Ones, please do not think that because my faith is shallow you should not eat your fill. Please eat. I too have sincere faith."

The bhikkhus replied:

"It is not for that reason that we are eating little. The people in the city, upon hearing that the Blessed One had permitted bhikkhus to eat porridge and cakes, prepared in full measure last night all manner of ghee, sesame seeds, fresh milk, clean water, ginger, pepper, and pippalī to cook into porridge. This morning they brought it to the monastery and offered it to the bhikkhus. We had already eaten porridge beforehand, and therefore we cannot eat much now. The official need not be troubled by this."

At that time, the high official of shallow faith gave rise to resentment and said:

"With deliberate intent I prepared fine and nourishing foods and drink to offer to the Sangha—one bowl of meat for each—hoping that the Sangha would consume it all. Why did the bhikkhus eat thick porridge before coming to receive our meal?"

Thereupon the high official, in anger, put away the various cakes, meats, and delicacies, and gave only plain rice and broth. Then the high official went to where the Blessed One was, paid homage at the Buddha's feet, sat to one side, and said to the Buddha:

"Just now I prepared a meal offering—did I gain much merit or much demerit?"

The Blessed One said to the high official:

"The offering you prepared brings very great merit. It is a wholesome cause for rebirth in the heavens. Even if the bhikkhus accepted only a single ball of rice from you, the merit of that would be immeasurable."

Then the Blessed One progressively expounded the Dharma on giving, on moral precepts, and on rebirth in the heavens. He censured sensual desire as harmful and defiling, and praised the practical benefit of renunciation and liberation. After the Buddha had spoken these teachings to the Minister, right there in his seat the Minister eradicated all dust and defilement, attained purity of the Dharma-eye, saw the Dharma, attained the Dharma, and within the true Dharma obtained the supreme fruit. He addressed the Buddha, saying:

"From this day forward, I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Please accept me as an upāsaka; for the rest of my life I shall not take life, and shall refrain from drinking intoxicants."

After the meal, the Buddha, on account of this circumstance, assembled the community of bhikkhus. Though he already knew, the Buddha still asked the bhikkhus:

"This morning you first ate the thick porridge of others, and only after that did you receive the offering of food presented by the Minister—is this so?"

They replied:

"Venerable Blessed One, it is indeed so."

At that time the Blessed One, using countless skillful means, rebuked the bhikkhus, saying:

"What you have done is wrong, contrary to proper conduct, contrary to the ways of a śramaṇa, contrary to pure practice, contrary to harmonious conduct—it is something that should not be done. You foolish ones, why did you eat thick porridge first and only then receive the offering? You may not, having already accepted a prior invitation, still go and eat thick porridge. Thick porridge is porridge through which, when a stalk of grass is drawn sideways, it does not come back together. Such porridge should not be eaten; if it is eaten, it shall be dealt with according to the rule."

At that time the Blessed One was traveling through the human realm from the country of Ānāpindāda together with a community of twelve hundred and fifty bhikkhus. At that time in the land there was a scarcity of grain and rice, and alms-food was difficult to obtain. The people's faces showed the marks of hunger. Yet five hundred mendicants continued to follow after the Blessed One.

At that time the Blessed One journeyed in stages through the land of Magadha and returned to the city of Rājagṛha. Along the way, the Buddha and the Sangha received many offerings. Within the city of Rājagṛha there was a musician of shallow faith who, upon seeing the Buddha and the community of bhikkhus receiving many offerings, thought to himself: "This is no small field of merit. Even in such a time of scarcity, the Buddha and the community of bhikkhus have received so many offerings. Today I shall use the resources I have accumulated over a year to prepare rich and nourishing food and drink as an offering to the Buddha and the community of bhikkhus, presenting a separate bowl of meat to each one." Having thought this, he went to the monastery and informed the bhikkhus, saying:

"Tomorrow morning I wish to offer a meal."

That same night he finished preparing all manner of fine food, and the next morning the musician came to announce that the time for the meal had arrived. At that time, in the city of Rājagṛha it happened to be a festival day, and lay people vied with one another to bring cooked rice, flour cakes, dried rice, fish, and meat to the monastery to offer to the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus received and ate this food, and only after finishing did they proceed to accept the invitation at the musician's home. The musician personally served the food and drink as an offering. The bhikkhus said:

"Please, lay supporter, do not serve too much food!"

The musician said:

"I accumulated my possessions over the course of a year and wholeheartedly prepared this rich and nourishing food for the community of bhikkhus, intending to offer a bowl of meat to each one. Please do not think that my faith is shallow, or that out of fear of arousing disbelief I am refraining from eating abundantly. Please partake freely and sincerely. I have genuine and wholehearted faith."

The bhikkhus replied to the musician:

"It is not because of such a thought that we do not eat much. It is because we have already received food from the people of Rājagṛha, and therefore we are eating only a little now. There is no other intention. Please do not harbor such doubts." When the musician of shallow faith heard these words, he gave rise to resentment: "How is this? I used all my resources accumulated over a year and with single-minded devotion prepared fine nourishing food for the Sangha, intending to offer a bowl of meat to each one—and yet the bhikkhus have gone and accepted cooked rice, flour cakes, dried rice, meat, and fish from others before coming to receive my offering?" Out of this grievance, the musician angrily put away all the rich food and left only plain rice and broth.

Afterward the musician went to where the Blessed One was, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and sat to one side. Having sat down, he asked the Buddha:

"In the offering I have just made, was the merit great or the fault great?"

The Buddha said:

"The offering you have just made is a wholesome cause that will result in birth in the heavens. Even if the bhikkhus had received merely a single lump of rice, the merit would have been immeasurable—how much more so with the offering you have made; the merit of this cannot be fathomed."

At that time the Blessed One expounded the wondrous Dharma to the musician: giving, moral precepts, and rebirth in the heavens. The Buddha criticized sensual desire as harmful and defiling. Upon hearing the Buddha expound the Dharma, the musician, right there in his seat, eradicated all dust and defilement, attained purity of the Dharma-eye, saw the Dharma, attained the Dharma, and within the true Dharma obtained the supreme fruit. He then addressed the Buddha:

"From this day forward I vow to be an upāsaka; for the rest of my life I shall not take life, and shall refrain from drinking intoxicants."

At that time the Buddha, on account of this circumstance, assembled the community of bhikkhus. Though he already knew, the Buddha still asked the bhikkhus:

"Is it true that you received and ate five kinds of food from others and only then went to accept the invitation of one who had previously invited you?"

The bhikkhus replied:

"Venerable Blessed One, it is indeed so."

The Blessed One, using countless skillful means, rebuked the bhikkhus:

"What you have done is wrong, contrary to proper conduct, contrary to the ways of a śramaṇa, contrary to pure practice, contrary to harmonious conduct—it is something that should not be done. You foolish ones, why did you receive and eat five kinds of food from others and only then go to accept the invitation of one who had previously invited you?"

After the Blessed One had rebuked the bhikkhus with countless skillful means, he said to them:

"You should not receive and eat five kinds of food from others and then go to accept the invitation of one who previously invited you. From this day forward I shall establish a precept for the bhikkhus, comprising ten principles of meaning, up to and including the perpetuation of the true Dharma for a long time."

The precept to be recited shall be as follows:

Whatever bhikkhu eats successive meals—a pācittiya.

The Blessed One thus established the precept for the bhikkhus. At that time there were sick bhikkhus at an invited meal where there was no suitable food for the sick and no medicine appropriate for their illness. Or there might be food suitable for the illness and medicine appropriate for the disease, but the bhikkhus, out of fear of committing the offense of eating successive meals, did not dare to partake of it. The bhikkhus reported this circumstance to the Buddha. The Buddha instructed:

"From this day forward, sick bhikkhus are permitted to eat successive meals."

Henceforth the precept shall be recited as follows:

Whatever bhikkhu eats successive meals—except in special circumstances—a pācittiya. The special circumstance is when one is ill.

The Blessed One thus established the precept for the bhikkhus. At that time a lay person invited the Buddha and the community of bhikkhus to receive a meal. Yet another lay person also wished to invite the Buddha and the community of bhikkhus to a meal offering and to present robes. That person came to the monastery and said to the bhikkhus:

"I wish to invite the Buddha and the community of bhikkhus to receive an offering of food."

The bhikkhus replied:

"We have already accepted the invitation of another lay person."

The lay person said:

"Venerable ones, I wish to offer both food and robes. I humbly request that the Sangha accept my invitation."

At that time the bhikkhus, uncertain, went and reported this to the Blessed One. The Blessed One instructed:

"From this day forward, bhikkhus are permitted, in cases where robes are being offered, to eat successive meals."

Henceforth the precept shall be recited as follows:

Whatever bhikkhu eats successive meals—except in special circumstances—a pācittiya. The special circumstances are: when one is ill, and when robes are being given. These are called special circumstances.

B. THE ANALYSIS OF THE PRECEPT

Bhikkhu: the meaning is as above.

Eating successive meals: having been invited to eat. Invitations are of two kinds: invitation according to the order of the Sangha, and individual invitation.

Food: cooked rice, dried provisions, dried rice, fish, and meat.

Illness: being unable to eat sufficiently in a single meal in one day.

Giving of robes: after Pravāraṇā, without receiving the Kaṭhina robe, one month; with receiving the Kaṭhina robe, five months.

If there are invitations to receive food and offerings of robes from multiple places, and on that day one has received invitations from several places, one should accept one and yield the others to fellow monastics. The following words are used to yield: "Venerable elder, I was supposed to go there, but I now offer it to you."

If a bhikkhu does not relinquish a prior invitation and accepts a subsequent invitation, he commits one pācittiya for each mouthful eaten. If he does not relinquish a subsequent invitation and accepts a prior invitation, he commits one dukkaṭa for each mouthful eaten.

For a bhikkhunī, it is a dukkaṭa. For a sikkhāmānā, a sāmaṇera, and a sāmaṇerī, it is likewise a dukkaṭa. These are called offenses.

Non-offenses: when one is ill; during the robe-offering season. If on a single day there are invitations from many places and one accepts only one, passing the others on to other monastics; or if the invitation does not involve a meal; or if the food is insufficient; or if there was no invitation to eat; or if after finishing the meal one receives food again; or if a single place encompasses both the earlier meal and the later meal — in these cases there is no offense.

Those who do not commit an offense: one who commits the act for the first time before the rule has been established; one who is insane, of disturbed mind, or afflicted with acute pain and distress.

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Vietnamese translation: Bhikkhu Thích Đỗng Minh and Thích Đức Thắng. FOUR-PART VINAYA, PART ONE

Chinese translation: Tripiṭaka masters Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian.

Revised and annotated: Bhikkhu Thích Nguyên Chứng

(Chinese translation, fascicles 1–21; Vietnamese translation, volumes 1–2)

Buddhist Publication Committee, 2002