Lzh Mg Bi Vb Sk 39Stuffing Cheeks

Source Status

This entry is an AI interpretation based on the provided descriptive information: item code Lzh Mg Bi Vb Sk 39, Vietnamese title “Nhét Đầy Má,” English title “Stuffing Cheeks,” Pāli/Sanskrit-like title “Avagaṇḍakāraka,” belonging to the Chinese Comparative Vinaya in the Sectarian Canon · Comparative collection. The data contains only the truncated end of the Vietnamese text, without the full source text, without the Chinese version, and without the origin story or original wording. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the circumstances of the rule’s establishment, the person involved in the incident, or the specific wording. The content below is a cautious practical interpretation, not a translation of the original scripture.

Context

From the descriptive information, the main subject can be identified as a rule related to the manner of eating, specifically avoiding stuffing food into the cheeks or eating in a coarse, undignified way. The remaining ending clearly states the spirit: food is not for the enjoyment of pleasure, but to nourish the body so that it may serve the practice of the Buddhadharma. Eating slowly, humbly, and mindfully is viewed as a means of training the mind in every detail of life.

In Vinaya study, deportment in eating holds an important place. Renunciants often come into contact with laypeople through almsround, receiving food, or taking meals in community. If one eats hurriedly, greedily, filling the cheeks and giving a coarse impression, the image of the practitioner is harmed and greed in the mind is easily nourished. Conversely, moderate eating shows that the practitioner knows the purpose of eating: to maintain this body as an instrument for practicing the path, not to embellish sensual pleasure.

The truncated ending uses a few terms and observations such as “self-restraint” and the instruction of female bhikkhus. Because the source has not been checked, these should not be regarded as quotations or certain content of the original. The general spirit may be retained: the rule does not aim to torment the body, but to transform attachment and protect the dignity of the renunciant.

Content That Can Be Determined from the Descriptive Information

It can be determined that this entry belongs to the group of regulations on conduct in daily life, especially deportment when receiving and eating food. The title “Stuffing Cheeks” is clear enough to identify the act being admonished: putting too much food into the mouth so that the cheeks swell out, losing dignity and showing a lack of control. This need not be exaggerated into a grave offense or interpreted as a complex doctrine. In the Vinaya, many small rules function to preserve the wakefulness and refinement of the practitioner.

From the remaining ending, three points may be interpreted. First, eating is a place where the mind of craving easily appears. When food is delicious, abundant, or rare, people easily forget mindfulness and run after sensation. Second, bodily conduct while eating affects those around one. A person who eats without moderation may make others uncomfortable, disturb the harmony of a shared meal, or cause laypeople to lose faith. Third, the Vinaya brings practice into the smallest details. One does not practice only while sitting in meditation; holding the bowl, chewing, swallowing, setting things down, and receiving a suitable portion are all places of practice.

There is no data to affirm what particular circumstance this rule addresses, whether it includes any story, or what penalty is used. Those points must await comparison with the source.

Meaning for Practice

Eating is a very real test of the life of practice. The mind may speak many lofty things, but before a favored food, haste and craving easily appear. The regulation not to stuff the cheeks helps the practitioner return to contentment. A moderate mouthful allows one to chew carefully, recognize taste without being carried away by it, and remember that this body needs to be nourished in order to continue practice, not to satisfy excess.

Dignified eating is also respect for others. In a community, a meal is not merely the private matter of each individual. Every gesture contributes to the shared atmosphere. A person who eats slowly, does not fight for a portion, does not make coarse sounds, and does not display excessive hunger is making the meal into a space of purity. That purity does not come from external ritual, but from a mind that knows self-restraint.

For lay Buddhist students, this lesson can be applied in modern life. We often eat in haste, eating while watching, speaking, or thinking of something else. The body receives food, but the mind becomes even more scattered. To practice in the spirit of “not stuffing the cheeks” is to eat a moderate amount, chew with awareness, know when to stop before desire takes control, and not turn eating into a way of compensating for unease. When an everyday action is illuminated by mindfulness, it becomes a doorway into practice.

Comparative Note

There is no complete source text for comparison, so the wording, Chinese terminology, origin story, and specific scope of application of the rule cannot be confirmed. The source should be checked when possible, especially the precise meaning of “Avagaṇḍakāraka” and its relationship with the title “Stuffing Cheeks.” In its present state, this entry should be used as an AI interpretation of eating deportment and moderation in receiving food, based on the descriptive information and the remaining text.