Lzh Dg Bu Vb Pc 39Eating Unoffered Food

– DHARMAGUPTAKA VINAYA

– PĀCITTIYA

39. PLACING INTO THE MOUTH WHAT HAS NOT BEEN OFFERED

A. ORIGIN

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in the Anāthapiṇḍika Garden, Jeta's Grove, in the city of Sāvatthī. At that time, a certain bhikkhu in the city of Sāvatthī thought: "I should regularly go on alms-round wearing a rag-robe." And he proceeded to act accordingly.

At that time, certain householders in the city of Sāvatthī, on account of the deaths of their fathers or mothers, brothers or sisters, husbands or wives, or sons or daughters, prepared food and drink and set out offerings at crossroads, or at gateways, or on riverbanks, at the foot of trees, or beside stones, or in shrines.

At that time, that bhikkhu who was on alms-round took those offered articles for himself and ate them. The householders who saw this were all indignant: "The Sakyan ascetics have no sense of shame; they take what has not been given to them. Outwardly they claim to be cultivating the true Dharma. What true Dharma is there in this? We prepared food and drink to make offerings for our deceased fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and so on, yet they take it and eat it. It is as though we prepared the food and drink and placed it there specifically as an offering for them! In truth, it is because our fathers and mothers, and even our brothers and sisters, have passed away that we established this food for the purpose of sacrifice and offering—yet they take it and eat it of their own accord."

At that time, the bhikkhus heard of this. Among them, those who were of few desires and contentment, who practiced the dhūta conduct, who delighted in training in the precepts, who knew conscience and shame, reproved the bhikkhu on alms-round, saying:

"Bhikkhu on alms-round, how could you, when the householders of Sāvatthī prepared food for sacrifice and offerings on account of the deaths of their fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters, take it and eat it at your own discretion?"

At that time the bhikkhus went to where the Blessed One was, bowed at his feet, sat to one side, and reported this matter in full to the Blessed One. The Blessed One, on account of this matter, convened the assembly of bhikkhus and rebuked that bhikkhu with numerous means:

"What you have done is wrong, not in accordance with proper conduct, not in accordance with the Dharma of ascetics, not in accordance with pure conduct, not in accordance with proper behavior—it is something that should not be done. Bhikkhu on alms-round, how could you take at your own discretion the sacrificial food of the householders of Sāvatthī and eat it?"

Having rebuked that bhikkhu on alms-round with numerous means, the Blessed One said to the bhikkhus:

"This foolish bhikkhu on alms-round is a field where many seeds of defilement are sown; he is the first to transgress this precept. From this day forth, I shall lay down a rule for the bhikkhus, comprising ten bases of meaning, up to and including the phrase: 'so that the true Dharma may long endure.'"

To set forth the precept, it should be stated thus:

Whatever bhikkhu places into his mouth food or medicine that has not been handed over and received — pācittiya.

The Blessed One laid down the precept for the bhikkhus in this way. At that time, the bhikkhus, having doubts about this matter, did not dare to take toothpicks or drinking water with their own hands. The Buddha said:

"A bhikkhu who takes toothpicks or drinking water with his own hands does not offend."

From this day forth, the precept should be stated thus:

Whatever bhikkhu places into his mouth food or medicine that has not been handed over and received — except for water and toothpicks — pācittiya.

B. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PRECEPT

Bhikkhu: as explained above.

Not offered: meaning it has not yet been handed over and received.

Receiving: there are five ways of receiving. Hand to hand; or hand to received object; object to hand; object to received object; from a distance, using an object to pass to the one receiving, where both the giver and receiver know there is a gap with no obstruction between them; or the object falls into the hand. These are called the five ways of receiving.

There are also five ways of receiving food: offering via the body and receiving via the body; offering via a robe and receiving via a robe; one arm extended to give and the other arm extended to receive; using a vessel to give and a vessel to receive; or, when there is a cause and condition, placing it on the ground to give. These are called the five ways of receiving food.

Khādanīya food: food from roots, up to food that has been ground fine.

Food (bhojanīya): includes cooked rice, flour cakes, dried rice, meat, and fish.

Yāvanīya food includes ghee, oil, fresh butter, honey, and molasses.

Whatever bhikkhu takes with his own hand food that has not been handed over and received and places it into his mouth — except for water and toothpicks — for each mouthful, one pācittiya. Eating at an improper time or beyond an improper time — pācittiya. Receiving medicine that is allowable for seven days, and using it beyond seven days — pācittiya.

Medicine allowable for life, if used without cause or condition and without having been handed over and received — dukkaṭa. If food has not been handed over and received, and one perceives it as not having been handed over and received — pācittiya. If it has not been handed over and received, and one is uncertain — dukkaṭa.

If it has been received but one gives rise to the perception that it has not been received — dukkaṭa. If it has been received but one is uncertain — dukkaṭa.

For a bhikkhunī: pācittiya. For a sikkhāmānā, a sāmaṇera, or a sāmaṇerī: dukkaṭa. These are called offenses.

Non-offenses: Taking water and toothpicks; or if milk, oil, or fat that has not been handed over and received is instilled into the nose, flows into the mouth, and is fully expelled, with only a remainder left, there is no offense. Or if a bhikkhu is on alms-round and a bird holding food in its beak drops it into the bowl, or the wind blows food into the bowl, and he wishes to remove that food — even if only as much as a fingernail-tip can be removed, and a remainder is left — there is no offense.

Those who do not offend: one who transgresses at the very first instance before the precept was established; one who is insane; one whose mind is disturbed; one who is afflicted and overwhelmed by pain.

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

Chinese translation: Tripiṭaka masters Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian.

Edited and annotated by: Bhikkhu Thích Nguyên Chứng

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

Buddhist Publication Committee, 2002