Lzh Mg Bi Pm Pc 27Storing Food
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sannidhikāraka
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Commentary on the Sannidhikāraka Sutta (Storing Food)
Background
The Sannidhikāraka Sutta is found within the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha section of the Theravāda school, among the class of Pācittiya rules (offenses requiring confession). These rules govern the humble and self-disciplined conduct of bhikkhus.
This rule arose from specific situations within the early monastic community. The bhikkhus, although having gone forth in pursuit of liberation, still had to maintain certain practical daily activities. The matter of storing food—particularly perishable foodstuffs or items of a special character—became an important question of Vinaya. The Blessed One set forth detailed regulations in order to prevent conduct incompatible with the spirit of the renunciant life, while also protecting the purity of the Sangha.
Main Content
The Sannidhikāraka rule prohibits bhikkhus from storing food—especially perishable or leftover food—for use on subsequent days. In accordance with the spirit of renunciation, a bhikkhu should live with the attitude of "having little" (appicchattā), not accumulating possessions or provisions beyond what is immediately necessary. The storing of food is regarded as an act bound up with craving, as a lack of trust in the Triple Gem, and as a violation of the humility proper to one who has gone forth.
This rule does not prohibit the receiving of food from laypeople, nor the keeping of food for a reasonable period in the course of ordinary daily needs. However, if a bhikkhu intentionally stores food with the aim of using it at a later time, or in order to accumulate provisions, this constitutes a transgression. Such an act expresses attachment to worldly concerns and a lack of harmony with the spirit of spiritual practice.
The specific regulations include those foods that should not be stored (such as cooked rice, soups, and other prepared foods), circumstances in which exceptions are permitted (such as in cases of illness or travel), and the proper manner of dealing with leftover food. The ultimate purpose is to educate bhikkhus in the transcendence of greed and desire.
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