Lzh Dg Bu Vb Sk 41Stuffing Cheeks

– DHARMAGUPTAKA VINAYA

– ŚAIKṢA-DHARMA

RULE 41

Once, the Buddha was dwelling in the Anāthapiṇḍika Garden, Jeta's Grove, in the country of Śrāvastī. At that time, a layman invited the Saṅgha to receive an offering of food on the following day. During the night he made complete preparations, and early in the morning he came to invite the bhikkhus to come and eat.

The bhikkhus put on their robes, took up their bowls, and went to the layman's house, where they took their seats. The layman personally served food to the Saṅgha with his own hands. The group of six bhikkhus ate with their cheeks puffed out, and upon seeing this, the layman reproached them, saying: "These Śākyan monastics have no sense of shame—they eat just like monkeys."

The bhikkhus heard this, and among them were those of few desires and contentment, who practiced the ascetic disciplines, were fond of training in the precepts, and had a sense of shame. They reproached the group of six, then went to the Blessed One, bowed down 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 an assembly of the Saṅgha of bhikkhus, and rebuked the group of six bhikkhus as above, and further said:

"From this day forward, I shall establish a rule for the bhikkhus, comprising ten points of meaning, up to and including the purpose of allowing the true Dharma to endure for a long time."

The rule to be recited is as follows:

One should not eat with puffed-out cheeks—this is a śaikṣa-dharma.

In this context, eating with puffed-out cheeks means stuffing food into the mouth so that both cheeks bulge out, resembling the appearance of a monkey. If one intentionally fills the mouth with food so that both cheeks puff out, one commits a duṣkṛta requiring confession. Because it is done intentionally, one commits a duṣkṛta against proper deportment. If done unintentionally, one commits a duṣkṛta.

Bhikkhunīs, and even śrāmaṇeras and śrāmaṇerīs, commit a duṣkṛta. This is called an offense.

Non-offense: if one is afflicted with some illness; or if midday is nearly past; or if there is danger to one's life or danger to one's celibate practice, so that one must eat hastily—then there is no offense.

Those who do not commit an offense: one who commits an act for the first time before the rule has been established, one who is mentally deranged, one whose mind is disturbed, one who is tormented and overwhelmed by pain.

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

Chinese translation: Tripiṭaka Master Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian.

Revised and annotated by: Bhikkhu Thích Nguyên Chứng.

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

Buddhist Publication Committee, 2002.