Lzh Mi Bu Vb Pc 37Eating Unoffered Food
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dantapona
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EXPLANATION OF THE DANTAPONA TEXT
(Eating Food That Has Not Been Offered)
Background
The Dantapona text is found in the Pātimokkha, the foundational code of the bhikkhunīs in the Theravāda tradition. This text is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, the analysis of the rules for bhikkhunīs, and belongs especially to the Pācittiya category, offenses requiring confession and correction.
The arising of this rule is connected with the principle of protection, the maintenance of pure mindfulness, and respect in the daily life of bhikkhunīs. The Dantapona text raises the issue of eating food that has not been properly offered by laypeople, thereby seeking to protect purity in the relation of dependence and to avoid conduct that could diminish the faith of the Buddhist community.
Main Content
The text states that bhikkhunīs should not eat food, especially staple food or valuable food, without a formal offering from faithful laypeople. "Dantapona" means "what has not been mentioned" or "what has not been set aside," referring to food that bhikkhunīs cannot verify was prepared with the intention of being offered to the Sangha.
This rule protects an important principle: purity in alms-seeking (piṇḍapāta) is one of the foundations of the monastic life. When a bhikkhunī eats food that has not been properly offered, even if that food is clean or valuable, the act may still create misunderstanding or diminish respect for the holy community. The ability to distinguish between food that has been "offered" (pariggahita) and "not offered" (apariggahita) becomes part of the training discipline.
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